Heart Strings
by MadelineRenee
Summary: Edward exists, but does not live until one night at the symphony with his family changes everything. Bella Swan lives for the strings on her violin. Can they help each other change? What forces stand in the way? First chapter is rough but give it a shot!
1. Chapter 1

**So this is my first attempt at writing anything creative. As part of my profession I am a medical writer, but I love this site and wanted to try something new. That said, the first few chapters are kind of rough, but if you stay with it I think it gets better….**

**Of course, I own nothing related to Twilight!**

**Chapter 1**

The evening started like any other for Edward Cullen: Bored, somewhat tired, and alone. His mother practically begged him each week to accompany the family to the opening concert of the Chicago Philharmonic. It was a beautiful symphony; even Edward had to admit that. The musical choices were flawless, as was the talent. Each year the symphony attracted musicians from around the world to join their ranks. The music and the love for his family drove Edward to attend the concert that night, despite his fatigue and mild indifference.

"Hey man, I can't believe you made it!" Emmett's booming voice echoed across the family's private box. His arm draped around the shoulders of his wife Rosalie. Rose was not the most beautiful or graceful woman that Emmett Cullen could have chosen, but she was gentle and sweet, and Edward respected his brother for his choice of mate, albeit a bit begrudgingly.

"Yes, Emmett, I decided to attend opening night. How are you Rose?" Edward responded. He actually enjoyed the company of his family, though he did not show it quite enough for their liking.

Rose blushed, still not believing she could even warrant a word from any one of the handsome Cullen men, "I'm wonderful Edward, thank you, and looking forward to the concert. The new first string violinist starts tonight, Isabella Swan. She just graduated from Juilliard, and is quite a coup for Chicago. I hear she is as brilliant on the violin as she is beautiful."

Edward smiled at his sister-in-law's sweet nature. "I hadn't heard of a new member to the Philharmonic. Mother, do you know anything about this?" He turned pointedly to the lovely women sitting as his left. Even well into her fifties Esme Cullen remained a vision, as did her husband Carlisle. Esme smiled at her oldest son. "Yes, Isabella has only lived here a month, but has already been volunteering at the Midtown Youth Center. She is a wonderful girl, Edward."

The sparkle in her eye and the tone of her voice betrayed her conviction and Edward saw it quite clearly. Unfortunately, his twin sister Alice and her husband witnessed this as well, and Edward shifted uncomfortably as they settled into their seats. "So Edward," Alice began with a small smile gracing her lips "Have you seen Isabella yet?"

"No, I have not Alice. I don't make a habit of stalking unsuspecting new comers to the greater metropolitan area. Why? Have you seen her?"

Instead of an answer, Alice shoved the symphony program into his hands, open to the page featuring the violinists. Isabella's picture was predominant, as she was first string, and she was breathtaking. Not just beautiful, but stunning. Edward sucked in a deep breath as he gazed upon her wide brown eyes, full lips and long gorgeous hair. "Mother," he turned to Esme, "What is she like, on the inside?"

"Son, " she began, "More beautiful than on the outside, if you can believe it."

At that moment, the musicians stepped on stage, and he saw Isabella under the lights of the concert hall, dressed in a classic, but curve hugging black dress with her cherry wood violin at her side. She looked like a walking dream, and he knew at that moment that nothing could keep him from making her his.


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own aything...SM owns all. **

Ch 2

As the music wafted through the air, Edward couldn't help but notice that he wasn't the only male taking a special interest in the program that night, just as he was sure that he wouldn't be the only man in Chicago that would approach Isabella, but he hoped he would be the only one that mattered. The final note broke Edward out of his thoughts and the crowd began to clap.

Emmett and Rose exchanged a look before he turned towards Edward. "Are you joining us for the cocktail party?" he asked slyly. At the opening of each season the symphony hosted a party to welcome its new members and the families who owned boxes and held season tickets usually attended. Of course, the new first chair violinist, Isabella, would have to make an appearance.

Edward nodded, "Uh, yeah, I'll go in with you guys for a bit. I mean, it would be rude to just take off like that on mom and dad, and I don't have any other plans," he rambled as his family looked on amused.

"Sure Edward, not wanting to be rude to us is so important," Alice chirped, "I'm sure wanting to meet the lovely Miss Swan has nothing to do with it!"

Edward scowled but didn't disagree. There was no way he was going to his hide his desire to meet the beautiful woman, he just hoped his meddling family wouldn't ruin his chance even before it began.

*H*S*

Bella gently placed her violin in its case before smoothing her hair and checking her makeup. She knew that mingling and meeting patrons was part of the job of a professional musician, but she still couldn't bring herself to be at ease. Just shy of twenty-three, this was Bella's first job after graduating. The first time she was actually getting paid to play on regular basis. She looked in the mirror and fought back a lump in her throat thinking how proud her parents would have been to see her reach this milestone. But, it was just Bella and she held her head up and walked into the party alone.

The wide foyer of the symphony hall looked beautiful with the lights glowing in contrast to the dark burgundy floors and wall coverings. Bella looked around the room nervously but softened a bit when she saw Esme Cullen approaching with a small group of people in tow. The two women met when Bella first arrived in Chicago and immediately began volunteering for Esme's children in music program. Esme's kindness drew her in right away and from what she had seen of her daughter-in-law Rose, the Cullen women were warm and welcoming.

"Isabella, congratulations on a wonderful first performance," Esme gushed, "It was the perfect way to start the season."

Bella blushed and looked down, "Thank you, and please remember its Bella." She smiled at Esme and gazed at the small group beside her. There were four tall men, the oldest of which she knew to be Carlisle, Esme's husband, with whom she assumed to be Rose's husband next to him. Before Bella had a chance to introduce herself, her hand was lifted and a smooth voice filled her ears.

Edward took her hand gently, "I'm Edward Cullen," he continued, "You seem to know my parents and Rose, and," he turned to the other two men and small woman, "This is my brother Emmett and my sister Alice with her husband Jasper Whitlock." He still hadn't let go of her hand, but she didn't seem to mind as she looked up at him with wide brown eyes.

"Uh, nice to meet you, I'm Isabella Swan, but please call me Bella," with that she dropped his hand and shook hands with others. Bella felt awkward and as though she couldn't breathe - she had never seen a more handsome man in her life! He was tall with piercing green eyes and a strong jaw outlining an angular face. He, like all of the Cullens, was impeccably dressed. They were quite an intimidating group. She shook her head slightly hoping to clear it up a bit, "It is so nice to meet Esme and Rose's family. They have been wonderful to me my first weeks here in the city."

Just as Edward started to speak Alice cut him off, "Bella – have you had a chance to see Chicago?" she asked excitedly, giving Edward a pointed look. He returned it with a glare and silently wished that Alice would allow him a chance to talk to Bella. Edward's experience with women usually did not involve much polite conversation, or conversation of any variety for that matter, but he certainly didn't need his sister's help to ask out a gorgeous woman!

"No, Alice, I haven't really had a chance to spend much time outside of the children's center and here," Bella replied. She had actually hoped to go sight seeing and get a feel for the area, but it had been a whirlwind few weeks and she hadn't quite felt settled enough to venture out on her own.

Edward was never one to pass up an opportunity and he quickly stepped in, "Bella, I'd love to show you around the city – I've lived here by whole life," he realized as he said it that it was more of blurt than an invitation, but what was done was done. Emmett snorted as if confirming his suspicion that verbal vomit had indeed occurred, but he elbowed him and smiled at Bella expectantly.

"Uh, sure, thank you, that would be nice," Bella answered shyly. She had, of course, been approach by men before, though she had never felt herself at a place in her life to accept offers of dates and such. However, something was different about Edward, and she had promised herself that once her goal of achieving a spot in a top philharmonic had been reached she would allow herself to have personal life – finally.

Edward beamed, "Wonderful! We'll figure out the details later -," Carlisle took that moment to save his son from groveling before this woman completely. "Ladies, what would all like to drink? The boys and I will go to the bar."

As the men walked away Carlisle slapped Edward on the back as the others began to laugh, "Smooth, son very smooth" he sputtered.

"What?" Edward defended himself, "She needs someone to show her the city and I have a feeling every socialite mother in this place will put their single sons up to the task; I saw my chance and I took it." Emmett snickered and explained to Edward that while of course asking out Bella was a good move, he and his family thought him more of a "get in and get out" type of guy.

Edward frowned as they reached the bar. After ordering a martini for himself and Bella's requested champagne, he turned to the bemused group of men. "I'm sorry for knowing what I want, but Bella is it. When have you ever seen me indifferent when I truly want something?" The men thought about this for a moment. Edward was immensely successful in his work as a doctor. They all worked together actually, in the emergency department at Chicago General, the younger men as physicians and Carlisle as chief of staff. Edward was an exceptional doctor and had always excelled professionally. Personally, though, he had a reputation of indifference with those outside of his family. While never wanting for a warm female body, he rarely was seen in the company of one, and he had certainly never brought a woman around his family.

Carlisle looked at his son for a moment. He raised his glass and said, "Here is to a new side of you, Edward, from what I have seen of Bella Swan, she's worth it." The men clinked glasses and headed back.

*H*S*

After each woman gave her order, they were left alone. Bella turned to face three gaping mouths. "What?" she innocently asked.

"Bella," Alice began, "I have never seen Edward act that way in front of a woman – ever!" Rose shot her a warning glance when Bella asked how he usually acts. "Uh, well, I mean he is usually not forthcoming with his personal life, that's all."

Esme stepped towards Bella and held her elbow gently. "What Alice means is that it is nice for us to finally see Edward take an interest in such a lovely young woman." As she finished her statement Bella felt her tense up and noted Rose's eye roll.

"Esme, dear!" A voice practically screeched from behind the small group. Bella turned to see a very distinguished older couple approaching with a younger blond haired man trailing slightly behind. Bella had to admit that he was quite handsome, though Alice and Rose looked wary of the trio.

Esme released Bella's elbow and faced the woman. "Dorothy, William, and James how nice to see you this evening", she somewhat stiffly stated. Dorothy quickly zeroed in on Bella, pushing the younger man a bit forward, "Isabella Swan! You were just wonderful! I'm Dorothy Hunter and this is my husband William," she gave a quick nod to the man on her left, "And this," she gushed, "Is my son Dr. James Hunter."

James looked a bit embarrassed by his mother's somewhat obvious presentation, but took Bella's hand in his anyway, "Isabella, my mother is correct, your performance was wonderful, congratulations," he said gently with his blue eyes shining. He looked behind Bella at that moment and dropped her hand. Bella felt a large warm body brush lightly against her back and she turned slightly to accept the glass of champagne that Edward offered, thanking him sweetly.

Edward stifled his somewhat unexpected hostile reaction to seeing another man touch Bella, even in such an innocent capacity, "No problem, Bella, my pleasure."

"Dr. Hunter," Edward nodded his direction. James responded with a somewhat terse, "Dr. Cullen," and turned his attentions back to Bella, "It was a pleasure to meet you and I plan to attend more concerts in the future. I'm heading to the bar, but I intend for us to meet again."

Bella felt Edward tense and then relax as James walked away. She smiled up at Edward taking a sip of her champagne. Maybe starting a personal life was not going to be as simple as she thought.

AN: Thoughts, suggestions, let me know in a little review :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to my reviewers (FF is not letting me reply or I would!) and all of those who have read my story so far. I think that it will get better with every chapter as I am used to writing medical articles and chart notes and not fiction! I am trying, though, and all of your comments really help, so keep them coming. I think that each chapter will be longer and I plan on updating a few times a week.**

Chapter 3

The party was taxing, but Bella did feel more at ease than she thought. After finishing her drink with the Cullens she dutifully made her rounds after the conductor suggested she meet a few of the other more prominent symphony patrons. However, no matter how far she wandered, the eyes of Edward Cullen stayed on her, and he made sure she knew it by throwing glances in her direction every chance he had.

After an hour or so, Edward noticed Bella begin to look around for an exit and he approached her to set their date for later in the week. "Bella, can I walk you to your car?"

Bella blushed, while cursing that particular trait for the millionth time in her life, "Thank you that would be nice, but I have to swing by my dressing room first to grab my bag and violin." Edward swept his arm in front of himself with a flourish and leaned down to whisper in her ear that he would follow her anywhere. Shivering slightly she moved quickly down the hallway with Edward trailing closely behind. She had virtually no experience with men, but even the high school crushes she'd had were nothing compared to the feelings this man – this virtual stranger – was awakening in her. Bella was both excited and scared by it, but her resolve to finally allow herself a life outside of work won out over her nerves.

They entered the small room that served as Bella's office and dressing room and Edward glanced around. Of course being that it was her first night in concert, there were quite a few beautiful flower arrangements scattered around the room. He felt a flare of jealousy wondering if any were from men who had known about Bella's arrival while at the same time kicking himself that he had not sent her something. _Next time I will listen when mom and dad chatter on about the symphony!_ He turned to Bella, "Can I help you with anything?" Grabbing her purse with a smile she handed him the violin case. They turned to leave and made their way out to the parking lot where Bella guided him towards a sliver BMW M3. Edward let out a low whistle, "Nice car!"

Bella clicked the key fob and smirked, just a bit. "It was my present to myself, for finishing Juilliard and getting this job – kind of an indulgence, but I love it." She did really love the car. Flashy wasn't really among her character traits, but being in the public eye in New York while playing in the school's orchestra had given her an appreciation for presenting herself appropriately, and she had accepted that looking nice and dressing well was really part of her job.

"You set the bar high for your family when it came time for them to get something for you, with that as your gift to yourself," Edward laughed.

"Well," she replied, not really wanting to get into this topic now, "There is no family, just me, so I make my own choices."

Realizing he had a touched a nerve, Edward immediately felt bad. But he recovered and took her short response as a hint to change the subject. He knew there was a story there, but he was a patient man and could wait for Bella to tell him when she was ready. "It's a beautiful car," he smiled at her gently. "So, what day this week can we meet? I was thinking I could show you a few of my favorite spots around the city and then take you to dinner."

Bella explained to him that her lightest day of the week was Thursday. Edward quickly rearranged his schedule in his head and promised to be at her place at noon as they exchanged information.

"It's a date then," Edward said as he opened Bella's car door and passed her the violin.

Bella blurted, without thinking, "A date – I've never be on one." She immediately clasped her hand over her mouth and wished for a hole to open in the ground and swallow her up. "I can't believe I just admitted that! If you want to cancel since I'm obviously socially inept I won't hold it against you…" A warm hand tipped her chin up, interrupting her rant.

Edward found himself immensely pleased at this admission from Bella, but willed his cavemen tendencies aside to soothe the beauty before him. "Bella, I want to learn more about how such a gorgeous woman has never dated, and I plan to, but believe me when I say that I am more than happy to be _any_ first that you'd allow."

She almost choked at his words but gathered herself enough to respond, "I can't wait," she boldly stated; new Bella was alive and well. Sliding into her car with a wave, Bella drove off into the night, looking forward to Thursday.

The car's lights faded into the night and Edward stood their dumbfounded, and admittedly turned on. How Bella could switch from a blushing innocent to a vixen he didn't know, but he was determined to find out. Making his way to his car he pulled out his phone and sent her a simple text wishing her sweet dreams.

*H*S*

Over the course of the week Bella began to feel overwhelmed. Between rehearsals, volunteer work and attempting to get settled she didn't have time to breathe. Among her most enjoyable distractions, however, were the few phone calls she had received from Edward. Their conversations had been sweet and light, flowing nicely without pretense or awkwardness. They spoke about inconsequential things, and she giggled when Edward became concerned about being an "old man" at the ripe age of thirty-two when he discovered she was only twenty-two. He snorted when she replied that age "ain't nothin' but a number," and the topic was dismissed for the moment. And, at the end of each night there was sweet good night text on her phone and she found herself wishing Thursday would get here more quickly.

Another thing keeping her quite busy was the constant attention that her performance the weekend prior had brought her. Flowers, notes, and well wishes greeted her in her dressing room each day that she came to work. On Wednesday morning a new particularly beautiful bouquet of lilies and pink roses arrived on her desk. The card read _Beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl. It was a pleasure meeting you and congratulations on a wonderful opening night. – James Hunter._ Bella recalled him immediately, remembering that he had seemed embarrassed at his mother's obvious haste to introduce the two of them. He was quite handsome and the flowers were lovely. She felt it was the right thing to do to call and thank him. After a quick call to the secretary she had James' number in hand and dialed.

"James?" she asked hesitantly when a slightly gruff male voice answered.

"Yes?" James huffed as he sat down on the bench in the doctor's changing room. He had just finished an 18-hour shift and was really not in the mood for conversation, especially when he knew nothing about the number that had popped up on his cell phone's caller ID. However, his mood changed in an instant when the sweet female voice replied, "its Isabella Swan…I just wanted to thank you for the flowers, they're beautiful."

James gave a mental fist pump and softened his voice, "Isabella, its great to hear from you. I'm glad you like the flowers. I'm sure you've gotten quite a few bouquets this week, but I couldn't help myself."

"True," Bella laughed lightly, "But they are still nice, and greatly appreciated. I just wanted to call and thank you – I hope you don't mind I asked our secretary for your cell number from the ticket office?" Bella was a bit worried, he hadn't included his contact information, after all and maybe he was just being polite.

Quickly James cut Bella off "No!" he said a bit too loudly, clearing his throat he repeated, "Um, no, no problem at all, I'm really glad you called." James decided, forward as it may be, he had a chance here that he wasn't going to pass up. "Isabella, I know you're new to Chicago and I was wondering if you wanted me to show you around, see some of the sights?"

Bella considered this for a moment, but decided to be honest, "James, I already have plans for a tour with Edward Cullen tomorrow, but thank you so much for the offer, it was very sweet of you." Bella felt bad turning him down, because on some level she thought James seemed like a nice guy, but she didn't think that going from basically no male contact outside of work and school to accepting two dates in one week was the right thing for her. She still wasn't _that _comfortable with "new Bella!"

Shit. Edward. James grimaced. Edward Cullen had been one step ahead of James for as long as the two men had known each other, which was basically since they were toddlers. In school if James wanted something, or someone, Edward usually beat him to it. It wasn't that James hated Edward, it was just that he was sick and tired of coming in second place. However, he didn't want to make Isabella feel bad, and certainly he would make more than one attempt to get to know her better. "No problem," he responded, "Maybe we can get together some other time." Bella answered somewhat non committingly and they said their good-byes.

Though luck wasn't usually on his side in these matters, James got a hit of it when as he spoke into his phone, "Have a good day Isabella," Edward himself walked up to the neighboring locker. He could tell by the steely look and narrowed eyes trained on him that Edward had heard; and there weren't _that _many "Isabella's" that he could have been talking to. James decided Edward deserved a bit of poking, especially since he would be the one, not James, spending the day with the beautiful woman. "Hello Edward, how are you?" James asked smugly.

Jealously was not an emotion that Edward had much experience with. However, when he heard James speak Bella's name into his phone, rage coursed through him, hard and strong. Truly, Edward had no way of knowing for sure whom exactly James had been talking to, but the smug greeting confirmed his suspicions well enough. "Fine James, looking forward to my day off tomorrow after that crazy shift, and you?"

Knowingly taking the bait offered to him, James coolly replied, "I'm not doing as well as you. I hope you enjoy your day off tomorrow spending time with Isabella. She just told me about it over the phone after she called me and profusely thanked me for the flowers I sent her," James' voice took on a purposefully smarmy tone that made Edward want to punch him in the face.

"That was of nice to you to be among the many well wishers I'm sure _Bella_ has encountered this week. At the end of each day she has been telling me how taxing it has been on her to make so many calls thanking people for their kind thoughts and gifts," Edward smirked as James fumed. James Hunter was in all actuality, not a bad guy. Edward viewed him as a proficient physician and his family was fairly prominent in Chicago's social circles. Nonetheless, James has always bothered Edward, and after a particularly nasty entanglement with one of the female Hunter cousins, Edward had maintained distance from the family.

Not deterred by an arrogance that he was quite used to over the years, James replied that he was quite certain it has been quite an overwhelming week for her. "I'm sure she's stressed, tell her I said hello when you see her next and that I look forward to meeting up with her soon." He turned and walked away, not wanting to deal with Edward's attitude any longer, feeling quite sure that this battle was far from over.

*H*S*

Edward returned home and took a long nap after a particularly grueling shift in the ER. The encounter with James had pissed him off more than had he had expected, and he began to realize that being with Bella, truly being with her and not simply dating her, might be harder than he thought. Bella was a beautiful talented woman, and successful men such as James were sure to take notice. He picked up his phone to call her, desperately wanting to believe that his lie about how her calling all of those who had sent her gifts was true.

The caller ID made her smile and Bella picked up eagerly, "Hello Edward, how are you?" He responded a bit coolly that he was tired but well and asked her how her day had been and if she had done anything interesting. She shrugged, "Nothing much, went to rehearsal, made a few calls and tried to unpack, you?"

Edward quickly tried to think of way to bring up the James phone call without seeming as desperately jealous as he actually was, "I ran into James Hunter at work today and he mentioned he spoke to you on the phone…that he sent you some flowers?" _Okay, so discreet is totally overrated. _

Eyes rolling as she giggled into the phone, Bella stated, "I did make quite few calls today to thank people for the flowers and notes I've been receiving all week. I do seem to remember talking to James today, he sent me a very nice arrangement; I had to be polite after all." Bella hated to admit that she loved the hint of jealously in Edward's tone. To think that such gorgeous man wanted to be close to her was amazing.

"I noticed he called you Isabella…." Edward trailed off. He beamed when she replied by saying that she only asks close friends to call her Bella. He, not James was already ahead in the quest for Bella's affection and he planned to keep it that way. "Thank you for considering me among your friends Bella, I can't wait to see you tomorrow." With a "sweet dreams" he hung up the phone and was surprised that for the first time in quite awhile he was looking forward to tomorrow.

**Please leave me a short thought or comment! **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Bella woke up Thursday with feelings of anticipation swirling deep in her stomach. A date, her first ever with the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen was going to start in about four hours! Despite the nerves, there was an additional part of her that felt really excited. She had second thoughts about accepting a first date that lasted all day and into the night – maybe starting with a coffee would have been better, but Bella made her decision to do this and she was going to follow through, no matter what. She flipped the covers off and headed towards the shower, after making a pit stop for coffee in the kitchen. Bella spent extra time on making sure her hair was dry enough to withstand the June Chicago humidity and then decided what to wear. After going back and forth she decided on a short, but not tight, black skirt that flounced around her at mid thigh. She paired it with a cute spaghetti strap baby blue top which showed off her curves without being obvious. A light dusting of powder and a swipe of mascara later, she looked in the mirror and was pleased with what she saw.

It had taken Bella a long time to get to a place of acceptance, even happiness, with her looks. She had gone through an extended teenage awkward period. Then, when she lost her parents, Bella withdrew even further into herself until about part way through college with the help of a few really good friends. The doorbell simultaneously sped up her heart and propelled her towards the door, forcing a moderate pace when she really wanted to run. Bella opened the door to reveal a perfect looking Edward clad in a pair of loose fitting jeans and polo shirt "Hi," she murmured after staring a bit too long.

Edward almost choked on his tongue when Bella opened the door. She looked stunning in a little skirt and top that were somehow sexy without being inappropriate – the certain mix of innocence and, well not so innocent, that Bella naturally possessed was driving him crazy, and causing his dick to twitch involuntarily even at the sound of her voice. _Shit, I'm staring like a teenager seeing his first set of tits. _"Hi to you too, Bella," he recovered from his ogling smoothly, "You look beautiful." The blush that spread across her face and neck only enhanced her beauty and he couldn't wait until the day he could follow that blush down her chest….maybe lick it…_shit, the twitch is taking on life of its own!_

"Come on in," Bella led him into the family room and showed him quickly around the small but elegant apartment. After giving him a tour of the kitchen and family room she pointed down the hall and quickly blurted, "Uh, and my room is down there," the thought of Edward seeing her bed, in her bed with her, was making her blush and _that_ needed to stop immediately.

_Oh fuck, don't say the word "bed," _Edward thought to himself as he ushered Bella back towards the front door before he did something that he would enjoy, but regret. "I have a full day planned for us, Bella, but please know that this is not a typical tour – I've chosen a few things that are off the beaten path, so to speak, if you're up for it," Edward smirked.

Bella knew it was time for "new Bella" to make an appearance, so as she locked the door behind her she turned to Edward and stated, "Bring it on." With a wink over her shoulder she headed towards the elevator.

Edward had never been happier for the choice to wear loose jeans in his life. It was going to be a long day with this gorgeous woman teasing him, but he wouldn't trade it for anything. He discreetly adjusted himself and followed Bella towards the elevator, not even trying to hide the fact he was openly ogling her ass and hips as they swayed ever so slightly. _Damn, it's going to torture being around her and not touching…well not touching too much anyway…._

*H*S*

As they stepped onto the sidewalk Bella looked around for Edward's car.

"Uh, uh," he shook his head, "You live near enough to where our tour starts, and it's a walking tour, so no car is needed."

"I love walking tours," Bella replied, "Which one is it? Great architecture or gardens of Chicago…."

"Nope," Edward smirked, "We're going on a walking gangster tour. It takes us around to some great landmarks and tells the stories of different Chicago mob bosses throughout the history of the city." Bella threw her head back and laughed, looking even more beautiful as she exclaimed that she loved it. He breathed a sigh of relief and felt himself becoming even more enamored with this lovely girl each moment. In his past, the women he had dated would have looked down their noses at this idea and been angry for ruining their shoes, but Bella was quite different, of this he was sure.

They arrived at the site of the start of the tour after a few blocks of pleasant banter and flirting. Edward may have let his hand brush against Bella's back and arm a few times…or purposely touched her while trying not to molest her, but they managed to make it to the tour guide intact and happy. This quickly changed for Edward when he noticed that young men made up the majority of the group – and they obviously liked what they saw in the beautiful woman standing next him.

Bella instinctively stepped closer to Edward as they approached the group of men with a few older women sprinkled throughout. "This is going to be so much fun," she exclaimed deciding to ignore the stares of a few of the guys. She was with Edward and she felt safe, regardless of the blatant ogling.

Edward loved that she pressed her warm little body against his as he snaked his arm around her waist. _Dream on fuckers._ He thought as he smirked at the group. The tour was really enjoyable. They wandered through the streets and alleyways of Chicago hearing tales of Al Capone and the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Bella looked entranced and his heart swelled that he had pleased her.

*H*S*

After the tour ended Edward took Bella to a few more of the more famous Chicago landmarks, ending with pre dinner drinks at the bar atop the Hancock Building. The place was cheesy and over priced, but Bella loved the view so Edward didn't mind sipping a watered down drink one bit. "Have you enjoyed yourself today?"

"Absolutely, Edward. Thank you so much," Bella looked up at him through her lashes. She had had an absolutely wonderful day and loved Edward's take on the city. She would also be lying if she didn't admit to being tickled by his obvious jealousy every time the tour guide spoke to her directly or one of the other tour members tried to approach. Plus, there was the added benefit that his hand hadn't left her body in some capacity or another all afternoon.

Edward smiled widely, "Well, we still have dinner. I made a reservation at Gibson's which is one of my all time favorite steakhouses and an absolute Chicago institution – you're going to love it." Bella smiled in return and they finished their drinks and headed towards the elevator and on their way into the night.

On the way to the restaurant they passed over a small bridge that connected the city's two riverbanks and Bella paused to enjoy the view, placing both arms on the railing and peering into the dark water below. Her breath hitched as she felt Edward's warm body press against her, his arms trapping her between himself and the railing. His warm breath ghosted up her neck landing on the edge of her ear. "Do you know how utterly gorgeous you are?" he whispered, "Or much how I cannot wait for the end of the night to kiss you?"

Bella gasped and turned in his arms, her eyes locking with his. She wanted his lips on hers more than anything in this moment, so she boldly murmured, "I told you I couldn't wait to share my firsts with you….so why wait?" And, despite her past misgivings about her lack of experience, she was suddenly thrilled that her first kiss would be with this man.

Edward's eyes widened at her admission and he vowed right there to make this the best first kiss a woman ever received from a man. One hand traveled up Bella's side, gently tracing a path to her neck where his hand wound into her hair, while his other hand splayed across her lower back. Ever so slowly he lowered his lips to hers as she tip toed up to meet him. When he felt the softness of her and tasted the sweetness Edward knew in an instant that this kiss was a kind of first for him too: He had never felt such a heightening of his senses from any touch, much less such a simple kiss. As the kissed deepened Bella pressed her body against his and he moaned into her mouth. Bella sighed in response and he could not resist touching the tip of his to hers and she opened her mouth to him immediately. They only broke apart the need to breathe became too much.

"Wow," Bella sighed still pressed up against Edward's hard body. "That was incredible," she blushed wondering if that was an appropriate thing to say after a kiss.

Edward beamed at her. "It was…was that really your first kiss?" Bella's blush was enough of an answer and he wondered out loud, "But you're so hot, how is that possible?"

Bella giggled at his forwardness and stated, "That is a story for another day, but I promise to tell you, if you'll promise kiss me like that again soon."

He hugged her tightly, lifting her feet slightly of the ground, "You can count on it Beautiful."

*H*S*

The entry way of Gibson's was cozy and inviting. The host recognized Edward immediately and welcomed him warmly, "Dr. Cullen! I was so happy to see your name on the reservation book tonight. Who is your lovely guest?" he gazed at Bella.

"This is Isabella Swan, the newest addition to the violin section of the philharmonic," Edward gushed unashamedly.

"Welcome, Ms. Swan. Follow me," the host stated gallantly as he led them through the restaurant. It had an elegant, but homey feel and Bella noticed most of the patrons were dressed nicely, but comfortably. Just before they made it to their table, an eerily familiar screechy voice broke through the cacophony of noise, "Isabella, how are you dear?"

The couple turned towards the voice and Edward stiffened at Bella's side tightening his grip on her waist. Ms. Hunter's voice soured a bit when she saw Edward and Bella together, but she struggled to remain bright nonetheless.

Edward could not believe his luck, or lack thereof. At the table directly in front of them sat the whole Hunter brood: Mr. and Mrs. Hunter, James – looking terse, and the infamous Hunter cousin from Edward's past, Tanya Hunter, staring directly at him licking her lips; and with a smirk, saying, "Yes, Edward darling, how are you?"

Bella looked at him with a raised eyebrow; this was going to be interesting.


	5. Chapter 5

**So I've decided to try and update two to three times a week with shorter chapters. Hope you like it and leave me some love **

Chapter 5

James broke the silence that was quickly becoming awkward, "Hello Isabella, Edward, nice to see you both." Despite the fact that he was fuming inside, James did not want to show it. He actually liked Bella and didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. Looking to Edward he noted, "Excellent choice bringing her to Gibson's, it's a true Chicago icon."

Edward nodded deciding to play nice. James was being pleasant and not ogling Bella, though knowing him as well as he did, he was sure the man's thoughts were less than honorable. Besides, Edward had bigger issues with the strawberry blond at the table glaring at him. "Well, we've had a long day wandering around and I figured steak was the best way to refuel." He looked towards Mr. and Mrs. Hunter, "Good evening. It's nice to see you both." Edward was nothing if not coolly polite when the occasion arose.

"Edward, what about me," Tanya smirked, "Don't you have any words for your old _friend_?" She purred accentuating the term sickeningly. The beautiful woman turned towards Bella, "And who is this little one? Did you decide to finally volunteer for Esme and take one of the kids from her program out for a night in the big city?"

In the past, such a comment would have made Bella cower, but she was not a shy teenager anymore. She had been on her own long enough, and fought her way to the top of her competitive field; some blondie was not going to intimidate her – or ruin her first date. "No, I'm Isabella Swan, the new violinist for the philharmonic. I had the pleasure of meeting the Hunters at the season opening. I don't remember seeing you…though it was a lengthy concert and required a long attention span. And you are?" Bella asked with a sweetness that was eerily genuine despite the content. Everyone at the table choked on their laughter. Mrs. Hunter was actually glad to see someone put her impertinent niece in her place for once. She would have never thought the tiny woman in front of her would be the one to do it. James and Isabella became more and more perfect for each other in her eyes with each encounter!

"I'm Tanya Hunter, a cousin of James'," her eyes narrowed, "I'm surprised Edward didn't mention me. We have been quite close over the years."

James looked back and forth between Tanya and Edward intriguingly. He had always wondered about the odd relationship between the two of them, but that was years ago before Tanya moved to San Francisco, and he had actually never seen them out in public together. Now that his cousin was back in Chicago, things could get interesting. However, James wasn't ready to resort to exploiting whatever sordid past Edward and Tanya had to get to Isabella. He _was_ the better man for her, and he didn't need tricks or manipulation to prove it. _But, Tanya placing doubt in Bella's mind about the perfect Dr. Cullen doesn't hurt! _

Edward jumped in immediately, not ready to open that can of worms. "Yes Tanya, how are you?" he asked with an eye roll.

"Fine Baby, it feels good to be home. I'm sure you didn't know I was back or you would've been in touch."

"No, I don't think I would've actually, but have a nice night." Edward steered Bella towards the host who had been waiting patiently during the odd exchange.

"Isabella, we'll see you at the next concert, won't we James?" Ms. Hunter crooned in Bella's direction. James nodded his agreement and watched as the couple moved towards their table and settled in the cozy booth.

Unsure how to come back from that irritating encounter Edward offered Bella a weak smile, "Was that as uncomfortable for you as it was for me?"

Bella raised an eyebrow, "Well, it was okay until she called you "baby," but you don't owe me any explanations." In truth, it _had _bothered Bella to hear Tanya use such a term of endearment for a man she was really beginning to care about. However, despite their daily phone calls and multiple texts, this was the first time they had spent time alone and Bella certainly had no claim on Edward.

With a sigh he shook his head, grabbed Bella's hand staring straight into her eyes, "She has, and never has had, any reason to call me anything, especially not "baby," he sighed. "My past with Tanya is less than honorable, but I can assure you that it was a long time ago and I was young ad stupid – I am no longer that person."

Sometimes letting things go was best, so Bella decided in that moment that when and if she needed to know more about his loaded statement she would ask. "Don't worry Edward; part of life is making choices that we can't see are best at the time. So," she swiftly changed the subject, "What's good here?" Bella's genuine smile released the tension in Edward's shoulders. He didn't know what he had done to deserve such a beautiful intelligent woman who was also forgiving, but he wasn't going to question it. Going through the menu together Edward helped Bella chose their meals and appetizers to share. Bella loved the food and the conversation was light and filled the laughter, the unpleasantness from earlier totally forgotten.

As he poured them each the last of the wine, the Hunters appeared at their table with Mrs. Hunter at the helm. "It was wonderful to see you Isabella, we would love to have you over for dinner sometime, it is our pleasure to welcome new people the city." James gave Bella rueful smile behind his mother's back which made her giggle a bit. Edward inwardly scowled – that was his giggle damn it! Bella responded that she would be in touch and as the group walked away Tanya looked over her shoulder and winked at Edward, her hips swaying just a bit more than necessary.

"I'm sorry about her really. But, I do have to say that James seems to have taken quite a liking to you and I'm sure he's not the first – or only – man to show you such attention…" Edward trailed off making the statement a question as he desperately wanted to know how it was that Bella had no previous romantic experience.

Whether it was the wine or the wonderful first kiss he had given her, Bella suddenly felt compelled to share a bit of her story with Edward. "Well," she began, "You have to understand that as a kid I was shy and more than bit awkward. I grew up in a small town in Washington called Forks where my dad was the police chief, which made other kids naturally stay away - no one wants to play with the goody-two-shoes daughter of a cop! So, since I was lonely my mom decided to let me play an instrument. I chose the violin and fell in love immediately. I became so consumed with lessons and recitals that I had no time for friends. Frankly," Bella sighed, "My few experiences with trying to make friends had left me in tears, and I just felt like my music and my parents were enough. Since Forks is so small once I surpassed the skill of my teacher my mom had to drive me to Seattle, which is three hours away, to practice three days a week or more. At that point, I was a teenager with no friends, just getting through school and spending all of my free time doing homework so that I could play my music. When I was fourteen a scout from Julliard visited my group in Seattle and I became obsessed with getting in. My parents were so happy and for the next two years that was my sole focus."

Bella paused and Edward tensed, sensing that something big was coming, and that it likely wouldn't pleasant. She continued, "Just before my seventeenth birthday my parents were killed in a car accident." Bella hurried on, as she didn't want to pause on that detail, "Since I was so close to seventeen, the state decided that if I could get early acceptance to college, I would become emancipated and not a ward of the state. The first few months after their death I spent practicing like crazy and dealing with the scouts from Julliard. I got an early acceptance, sold my family home and used that plus the life insurance money to support myself. The rest is history I guess." Bella stopped, waiting for a reaction from Edward.

His heart broke for the beautiful young woman in front of him, "Was there no other family or anyone that could've helped?"

"Nope – I am only child of only parent children whose own parents were long gone. My parent's friends helped me with the details of their estate, but essentially I was on my own at sixteen." Bella sighed, not wanting to dwell on those dreadful months, "But back to your question about how this relates to my lack of relationship experience, I felt that I had to honor my parents by taking my time at Julliard seriously. So while I made friends and grew out of my awkward stage, I didn't want to allow myself any relationship entanglements. Reaching my goal of graduating and getting a job was the most important thing to me." Bella let out a gust of air, "Do you think I'm a freak?"

Edward got up and moved around to Bella's side of the booth. He pulled her closely to his side and cupped her cheek, forcing her to look at him. Her beautiful brown eyes gazed up at him while her mahogany locks caressed his hand and arm, "Bella, I have spent my life surrounded by women who would throw away every moral line they have, as well as their own bodies to "land" a wealthy man. To hear your story and see how brave you have been and how, at such a young age, you had the maturity to put your goals above any man…well, it's inspiring. I am honored that you chose me to move into the next phase your life with." Edward leaned in and brushed his nose along Bella's neck, savoring her scent. He ended his path at her ear and lightly touched his lips to the soft spot behind her ear, enjoying her responsive shiver. "Are you ready to leave Beautiful?"

Trying desperately to control her body's reaction to this gorgeous man, Bella nodded dumbly. Edward paid the bill and they walked hand in hand to the street where he hailed a cab. As they sped towards Bella's apartment she fought against her instincts to invite him in – that would be too much too fast, but did she want him! He paid the cab and they stood in front of Bella's building. Edward cleared his throat, "I, uh, parked around the corner so…"

Bella decided it was time for "new Bella" to enter the scene. She pressed her body closely to Edward's and leaned up on her tip toes to touch her lips gently to his. After they parted she softly said, "Thank you for a perfect day, and for just being perfect."

His heart swelled to her words and he grabbed her waist and kissed her again, deepening the kiss and swirling her tongue as he entered her mouth. His hands brushed up and down her sides, his long fingers almost rebelling against him wanting to reach for her breasts. _Don't scare the pretty girl, don't scare her! _He swore his own cock wanted to kick his ass, but he remained a gentleman. Once they broke apart for air Edward touched his forehead with hers. "No, Beautiful, thank you for trusting me. I promise that this was just the first of many hours spent together." He gently released her and she turned towards her building.

As Bella entered the foyer she turned back to him and murmured, "I'm counting on it."


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you everyone for all the reviews and alerts! As I said before, I hope that each chapter gets better as I become more comfortable with fiction. In this chapter we enter into the beginning of some of the suspense portion of the story. I am a psychiatrist by profession, so I feel a bit more comfortable writing the "crazy" characters – I hope you like it!**

**SM owns all related to Twilight, but I own the crazy **

Chapter 6

Edward woke up Friday morning feeling better than he had in a long time. His date with Bella had gone perfectly, despite the awkward encounter with Tanya. He knew his past entanglements would come back to haunt him at some point, he just didn't think it would be so soon. Dealing with Tanya needed to happen immediately – that woman was not allowed to hurt Bella in any fashion. Unfortunately, Edward knew how women like Tanya worked. It would take just a few well placed suggestions of social demise, which the Cullens could certainly deliver, and her mouth would stay shut.

Sighing he rolled out of bed and headed for the shower. The warm water cascaded down across his broad shoulders and he immediately thought of Bella. _This shower would be so much better if she were in here with me…shit, now I'm hard._ The images of her naked and wet with long hair falling around her shoulders were too much and he gave in to the desire to slowly stroke his shaft. Her top yesterday was not overly revealing, but had outlined her perfect breasts enough that Edward could envision the feel of them in his hands. He thrust into his hand imagining how her perky breasts would be topped with pink little nipples begging for his mouth and tongue. How she would writhe and beg as he made his way down her little body to her sweet pussy. In his mind's eye he saw her spread out naked before him and lost it, cumming with force. Hand pressed against the tile wall, his forehead resting on his arm, Edward shuddered as he came down from the hardest orgasm he'd experienced in a long time.

After his shower Edward headed out the door towards the hospital. Taking yesterday off meant a double shift in the ER today, which also meant missing Bella's concert tonight. Normally he would've wanted a few days of space after a first date, but this time was different – he never wanted space from the beautiful brunette. Additionally, he knew for a fact that James had the night off and would likely attend. Edward was not an easily intimidated man, but he had not liked how Bella didn't completely dismiss James' gift or invitation to attend dinner at his family's home. Crap, she had giggled at him! The feelings of jealously and fear steeled his resolve further to make Bella his, and only his, as soon as she allowed.

*H*S*

James prepared for his day at work, knowing he'd be alongside Edward until his shift ended at 5; the perfect time for him to make it to the symphony with his family. Seeing Isabella and Edward together yesterday had made his blood boil. Tanya's incessant nagging and whining about Edward for the rest of the night hadn't helped his mood at all. After they left the restaurant, his mother had pulled him aside and encouraged him not to give up on Isabella. James knew that his parents had a reputation in Chicago's upper circles as social climbers, being from newer money than some of the established families, but his mother and father had been very good to him, and James appreciated the encouragement.

The sound of a locker slamming next to him jolted James out of his thoughts and he turned to see Edward adjusting the string on his scrubs. Next to him was his brother Emmett, who was also working in the ER this particular shift. "Edward, Emmett," James greeted them with a nod. Turning to Edward he smirked, "It was nice to see you last night. Tanya couldn't stop talking about getting together with you and 'reacquainting.' I will say that it was even nicer, though, to see Isabella. She looked beautiful," James snickered that last part, clearly trying to bait Edward into divulging what exactly happened between the Tanya and the good doctor.

Edward clenched his fist and moved forward. Only Emmett clasping his shoulder and whispering in his ear that James wasn't worth it stopped him from pouncing. "I don't know why Tanya would even think anything about me. She is, and always has been, inconsequential to me in every way." Edward fumed at the man in front of him. If James saw his discomfort with Tanya and his jealously over Bella, he would certainly take advantage.

Emmett chose that moment to speak up. "Oh man Edward, I'm so glad you finally went out with Bella – Rose has been on my back to get to the two of you together since the minute she arrived in the city!" Emmett glared at James. He disliked him more than Edward did, if possible. Throughout elementary school and high school James had teased Rosalie mercilessly for wearing glasses and braces. Even when Rose moved out of her awkward stage James and his dreadful cousin had always looked down their noses at her, making her feel less than. Emmett thought his wife possessed an inner beauty that made her exterior shine, and he hated that James dared to make her sad. He'd be damned if he'd let James and Tanya stir up trouble where Bella was concerned as well.

"Yes, we had a wonderful date," Edward said turning to Emmett, "We'll go out again soon. Maybe we can meet with you and Rose for dinner?" Emmett nodded with a wide smile and headed out as his pager went off. Edward looked at James pointedly, "Well, are we going to get some work done today or what?"

James sighed and glared right back at Edward, not intimidated in the least. "I know you think you've won with Isabella. But trust me when I say that one date does not make her yours. I have a genuine interest in her and I don't plan on letting this go anytime soon."

"I hope you enjoy disappointment," Edward sneered through a clenched jaw, "because I have no intention of losing her. And make no mistake, James, I do have her." _Fucker._

James stood tall, continuing to hold his resolve. "Edward, you don't know her mind. She's been here a few weeks. Once she has a chance to see what else is out there, I am confident Isabella will choose more _savory_ company. Don't try and be self-righteous with me and pretend that Tanya is the only woman in town who will come out of the woodwork once it seems that you're off the market. It's no secret that you've been less than a gentleman in your past."

Edward lunged at James, pushing him against the lockers with a bang. "Don't threaten me James," he said with deadly calm. "I can crush you on every level and you know it. Bella is mine and will stay as such. Back. The. Fuck. Off," he said enunciating each word with a point of his finger into James' chest.

"Shit, Edward, what the fuck is going on?" The voice of his brother-in-law Jasper filled the room loudly. Edward let James down and turned to Jasper.

"Nothing. Just letting James know a few things. Let's head out." Edward stated, clearly not wanting to discuss the confrontation. Jasper looked at him strangely but followed him out the door.

As they rounded the corner they heard James mummer, "Don't worry Edward, I'll tell Isabella you said hello when I see her after the concert tonight."

*H*S*

Strawberry blond hair tumbled down her back as the brush smoothed through stroke after stroke of the brush. Tanya smiled at the beautiful reflection in the mirror, a maniacal smile gracing her full lips. Edward Cullen was hers, always had been. She was not scared of the tiny brunette violinist. In fact, Tanya Hunter was not afraid of anything. Her gift was making people see her way in every situation. Edward would not leave her. It didn't matter that it had been over ten years since the man had even touched her, she never forgot and was damned sure to make him remember.

The thing about Tanya was that she was good at holding together a façade of pouty perfection around friends and family. They all viewed her as a harmless socialite with a pretty smile and dim mind. But Tanya knew better. She was destined for greatness, and in Chicago that meant marrying a Cullen. In high school she had tried to get Emmett Cullen to see that his infatuation with that cow Rosalie Hale was absurd, but the sweet little bitch had beguiled him by the fact that she was so beloved by everyone that her lack of looks ceased to matter. When she realized Emmett was a lost cause her attention turned to Edward. He was much easier to seduce initially: A player by nature he had fucked her within the first twenty four hours of her showing interest. Their relationship had pretty much consisted of that – she asked for sex, and he complied whenever, wherever. It only stopped because her parents insisted she attend college in San Francisco to "become well-rounded." She stayed on the West Coast longer than expected because of a romantic entanglement that ended with some….well, not nice events. Her return to Chicago at the age of thirty-two was meant to be the perfect time to hook a supposedly more mature Edward.

Tanya sighed, but not in resignation, more in disbelief that she had seen him with that slut. Isabella Swan was in fact a very beautiful woman. Her aunt's blathering over the woman would've made her sick except for the fact that she planned to use it to her advantage. James had tried to play it cool, but his lust for Isabella was practically seeping through his pores. Between James' longing, her aunt's gushing and Edward's obvious need for a good fucking, Tanya's plan was set. If nothing else, she'd always had a sense of weakness in others, and an ability to manipulate her prey before they even knew what hit them. She smiled in the mirror, admiring her perfection one last time before turning off the light and going to bed. This was going not only to be easy, but so much fun.

**Reviews are as nice as perfect strawberry blond hair **


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter is a bit shorter, but the next one is on the way soon! Thanks for all of the reviews - I still can't figure out to respond to each one due to the FFn issue, but I do appreciate all the thoughts!**

Chapter 7

As the final notes of the music ended and the applause began Bella closed her eyes briefly and sighed. The concert had been perfect and she was reminded again of the luck surrounding this wonderful job and the joy of playing almost every night. After making her way back to her dressing room to gather a few things, Bella walked out through the front hall to the parking lot. Heading towards her car, she dutifully smiled and greeted symphony goers along the way. Her phone buzzed in her purse while she was putting her violin in her trunk. Happily engrossed in a sweet text from Edward wishing her goodnight and sweet dreams, she did not hear James approach until he was standing next to her.

"Wonderful concert tonight Isabella, you played beautifully," James crooned; the look in his eye clearly indicating the music was not the only thing he found attractive at the moment. "So," he continued, "It was nice to run into you last night, though I can't say I enjoyed seeing you on Edward's arm. How about giving me a chance to show you some of my favorite spots in the city?"

Bella sighed. It wasn't that she thought James was a bad guy. In fact, besides Tanya, the Hunter family had been very gracious each time she'd seen them, and he did go out of his way to send her a beautiful bouquet. However, finding someone nice and wanting to date them were two different things altogether. Bella was new to the dating scene, and part of her thought that "playing the field" was the right thing to do. But, even though she and Edward had not discussed exclusivity, the romantic interest she felt for him was all consuming. Spending time with James as more than friends would not be fair to either man. Not wanting to dismiss him outright, Bella explained that the upcoming weeks were busy and she would likely see him at the many social functions related to the summer concert season.

James nodded, realizing he was getting a brush off of sorts. Undeterred he leaned in close to Bella again and whispered, "I'm not going to give up Bella. You'll see Cullen's true colors soon enough and I'll be waiting to show you what it means to be treated properly by a man."

Bella smiled weakly, "James, please don't take offense. This is a really new and strange time for me. I'm just trying not to complicate my life in certain areas. Your family has been nothing but sweet to me since my arrival and your mother graciously extended an invitation to her home for dinner soon, which I plan to accept. I will see you there, as she mentioned, and at other social functions around town. Can that be enough for now?"

Not being able to deny this beauty anything, and not wanting to upset her, James lifted her chin gently with his thumb. "Bella, that sounds like a perfect way for us to start to get to know one another. But, I can't promise that I won't feel the need to send you flowers or some treat every now and then, you know to congratulate you on a concert that I find particularly enjoyable…" he trailed off with a mischievous glint in his clear blue eyes.

Bella giggled, "That sounds fine James, thank you for being so understanding." With that she made her way to the driver side and James opened the door, settling her in and wishing her a good night. On the way home Bella decided to be bold and call Edward. She wanted to see him again and was not going to be timid – he had made his interest in her clear after all. Turning on the Blue Tooth system in her car she dialed his number.

"Hello, Beautiful" Edward answered smoothly seeing Bella's name on the caller ID, "And, to what do I owe this pleasure?" A mental fist pump ensued; Bella had reached out to him and he was thrilled!

"I just wanted to thank you for the sweet text and tell you goodnight," Bella spoke shyly into the phone. Edward asked her how the concert went and they even made plans to meet during his lunch break the following day. As they were ending the conversation, Edward tried to think of a covert way to bring up any possible encounters with James, "Did you have any interesting run-ins with the illustrious symphony goers of Chicago?" he teased.

Bella rolled her eyes, understanding immediately what Edward was asking. "Yes, I did meet with quite a few people for a couple of minutes. Mrs. Hunter called me earlier in the day asking me to dinner at her home, and I ran into James in the parking lot tonight." Bella decided honesty was the best choice for everyone involved in this situation.

Clearing his throat and clenching his fists, Edward responded tightly, "Dinner with the Hunters and a talk with James…that sounds interesting." Bella explained that she did accept the dinner invitation with the Hunters, but decided not to go into details about her encounter with James, "Mrs. Hunter has been very nice to me and I'd like to get to know her and her husband more," she stated, purposefully leaving out James and Tanya.

"That makes sense," Edward sighed, "They are great supporters of the arts after all." The two said their goodnights and Bella offered to make a lunch and bring it to the hospital the following day. As much as Edward wanted to take her out, he relished the thought of having Bella at his side in the hospital cafeteria for all to see.

*H*S*

Grasping the little cooler in her hands Bella walked through the doors of the hospital, nervous and excited for Edward to try her cooking. She had made meatball subs with homemade ingredients and added a few slices of her special chocolate cake for something sweet. Making her way towards the cafeteria she saw Edward seated at a table with the large man she remembered to be Emmett, his brother and Rosalie's husband.

Edward visibly brightened as he saw Bella approach, cutting Emmett off mid sentence. The bulky man laughed, "Geez, man, I get the point, I'm leaving." As he turned to exit he saw Bella and gave her a wink, "Hey Bella, Rosie's been bugging me to have you and Edward over for dinner – are you free next week?"

Bella looked at Edward, unsure of what to say. He saved her, laughing at Emmett, "You name the date and we'll be there," he said with a grin. Emmett walked away gently touching Bella's shoulder. She turned to Edward and his dick gave a twitch as he as took in the beautiful little brunette in her tight jeans and tiny navy blue sweater that made her skin glow. _Down boy, later. Shit. Would I always be hard just at the sight of her?_

"Hey Gorgeous, what have you got there?" He stood and ushered Bella to the seat across from him.

Bella blushed at the compliment and sat down in front of him. Opening the cooler she produced the food, making Edward salivate – for her or the treats he didn't know, probably both.

"Beautiful, you really didn't have to go to so much trouble," he stated. Taking a bite of the sandwich, however, he moaned embarrassingly. "Holy shit! This is good Bella!" Edward exclaimed- and it was perfection. Bella turned an even deeper shade of red, as they enjoyed their lunch. After they had finished, with an extra slice of cake he was instructed to leave for Emmett - _yeah right! Fuck if his girl's cake was going to that oaf! -_Edward walked Bella to her car.

Placing his hands gently at her waist he looked down into her beautiful brown eyes. "Thank you Sweetheart that was a delicious lunch."

She blushed, but stared right back at him. "What do I get for a thank you?"

Vixen Bella was out to play and Edward couldn't get enough. "Hmm," he said staring at her plump lips, "I have an idea." He leaned down and kissed her forehead, slowly making his way down the side of her face. "How" kiss "about" kiss "this" kiss, as he landed directly on her lips, urging her mouth open with his tongue. Bella responded immediately, opening to him, allowing him to plunder her mouth. His hands ran up her sides as she was pressed back into the side of the car even further. The kiss deepened as Edward's thumbs grazed the sides of her breasts. She moaned into his mouth and his hands stilled, long fingers splayed against the curve of her tits.

Sexy as it was, his moan brought him back to reality and Edward realized he was about ten seconds away from stripping Bella naked and burying his face between her legs in the middle of the hospital parking lot! "Baby, we have to stop. Shit, I don't want to, but we've got to slow down before I embarrass us both with public indecency."

Bella pulled back and giggled. "Sorry, I guess I got carried away."

Resting his forehead against hers he laughed, "Feel free to get carried away anytime, but," he continued, "I have to get back to work. Meet for dinner tomorrow night?" Bella nodded in acceptance and with a final chaste kiss slid into her car and drove off, her heart full and happier than it had been in a long time.

**Please review….lots of people have added this to their alert list, but not a lot of thoughts on the story itself have come my way…Thank you!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you for the reviews and story alerts. I really love to hear people's thoughts on my fiction since, like I've mentioned, in my real life my writing consists of chart notes and research, which is nowhere near as fun as fan fiction! **

**SM owns all.**

Chapter 8

Over the next week Edward and Bella grew closer, spending time together whenever possible. Bella knew she was falling fast and hard, but couldn't bring herself to care. She had never been treated more sweetly by anyone, much less a man, in her life and she frankly couldn't get enough. And the kissing! Though they hadn't progressed much physically, Bella was certainly enjoying what they _were _doing quite a bit. _His lips, his tongue intertwining with hers…hands lingering on the outer curves of her breasts, sometimes daring to brush a hardened nipple with his thumb…pulling her close in the elevator, rubbing his hand along her neck, following the trail with wet open mouthed kisses. _Bella shuddered inwardly at the memories and smiled to herself.

Despite the wonderful dates and sweet attention, Bella knew there was more to Edward than he was letting on. When they were out and about in the social circles of Chicago, the death glares that Bella received from more than one woman made it clear to her that Edward had somewhat of an active romantic past. It really hadn't come up in the course of their getting know one another, besides Edward's proclamation that he felt things for Bella that he never experienced before. Maybe she was naïve and opening herself up for heartbreak, but Bella could not stop seeing Edward Cullen.

A slamming door brought her out of her thoughts and Bella turned to see Esme and Rosalie entering the center. The three women volunteered together twice a week at the arts appreciation classes for Esme's children's foundation. Bella loved the work with the children and she had met some wonderful women through helping out at the center.

She was greeted with a warm hug from Esme and shy wave from Rose. "Bella," Esme began, "How are you?" From the moment she met Bella, Esme saw something special in the young woman. Once she learned Bella's story she knew her hunch that this girl was extraordinary was correct, not just in obvious musical talent, and beauty, but in strength of character as well. Bella had been alone for so long, and Esme's motherly instincts kicked in full force; she wanted to include Bella as part of the Cullen family. Esme had to admit that Edward was an additional motivation for wanting to include Bella. She worried about her son and his lack of relationships and seeming inability to relate to women in a romantic sense. She couldn't understand it really, since Edward was surrounded by couples in happy marriages. However, now that he and Bella had started seeing each other Edward finally came out from behind his wall, and the whole family noticed a side of him they hadn't seen since childhood.

Bella returned the hug. "I'm great Esme. I finally feel like I'm finding my way around and getting to know a few people much better." Bella blushed, thinking of Edward.

Rose giggled from behind Esme. "Yeah Bella, Emmett told me how you've started visiting the hospital at lunchtime. He had to wrestle away some of the food you left for him from Edward. Apparently Edward yelled in front of everyone, 'No one tastes my woman's chocolate cake but me!' But since Emmett is bigger he got the piece anyway, and loved it!" Over the past few weeks Rose and Bella had become closer while working at the center, and Rose was happy to see her brother-in-law involved with such sweet woman instead of the usual vapid social climber just hunting for money and the Cullen name.

As the women laughed and began their tasks for the class, Mrs. Hunter approached the group with a startling squeal, "Esme, darling! How are you?" before Esme could respond, she turned to Bella with enthusiasm, "Oh, Isabella, I forgot you were working today! Rosalie," she nodded coolly. She still had not gotten over the fact that Emmett Cullen had chosen the gangly Rosalie over her darling niece Tanya. Thinking of James and how she was not going to lose another potential mate for a family member, her attention returned to Bella. "Isabella, we are having a small dinner tomorrow night and we would love for you to attend, even though it is such short notice. James will be happy to see you. He has been working so much lately that he hasn't had much time to socialize. Though I know he has been making it up to you as our family florist has been quite busy procuring your favorites."

Bella felt Esme stiffen next to her at the insinuation that James and Bella would be dating if James had the time. Feeling in a tough spot, because she really did not want to be rude, Bella decided to accept the invitation, but with a bold statement. "Edward is working tomorrow night, so I don't have any plans. I would love to join your family for dinner, thank you," Bella responded sweetly. Esme and Rosalie stifled their snickers and focused on their work.

Mrs. Hunter heard Bella's statement loud and clear, but paid little attention. She had not reached her position in life without a fight, and since she knew in her heart that James was good match for the young woman, she responded as if nothing out of the ordinary had been said, "Perfect, I'll call you with the details later." With a smile she walked off, her heels clicking loudly on the tile floor.

Once the older woman was out of range Rose and Esme began to laugh. "Bella," Esme gasped, "I've not seen anyone put that woman in her place in a long time! Good for you! She shouldn't be meddling in your relationship with Edward, or her son's love life for that matter."

Bella smiled, "I'm not sure about all of that," she noted realizing that her and Edward's relationship was still undefined, "But," she continued, "I have made it clear to James that I am only interested his friendship, and I need his mother to see that. Besides, despite the pushiness the Hunters, James included, have been very nice to me. It would've been rude for me to turn her down. It's only a family dinner after all."

Sighing, Rose touched Bella's arm gently, "I know you had to accept given the circumstances, but be careful with the Hunters, Bella. They are focused on the wrong things and will hurt whoever they need to in order to create the image they want. Edward told me about your unpleasant run-in with Tanya, and I know you held your own, but she was likely just getting started. Her and I go back to childhood and knowing her has not been agreeable, to say the least, but I'll tell you that story another day, after a few drinks. Just be careful, that's all."

Bella was touched by Rose's concern and nodded in assent. But, Bella felt she could appease the Hunters with one dinner and then move on. This was going to be one interesting dinner party, of that she was sure.

*H*S*

Bella could almost hear Edward's eye roll over the phone as she reviewed, once again, the reason she felt the need to accept the Hunter's dinner invitation. She was chatting with him in the car on the way to the event and he was desperately trying to get her to turn around and go home.

"But, Beautiful," he sighed, "You don't know them like I do. I understand for you it's only a polite response to a dinner party, but for Mrs. Hunter this is the chance to throw you into James' waiting arms and to get Tanya to spew her venom in the vain hopes that you will dump me."

Giggling into the phone Bella stuttered, "Are you jealous, Edward? Really, I'm spending an evening in a stuffy house with two older people, James and Tanya, none of whom I know very well…and," she purred into the phone, "the whole time I will be thinking about our plans for after my concert tomorrow night."

Edward smiled at her tone, loving that even as innocent as she was Bella had a little vixen bubbling just below the surface. "Gorgeous, you know the first part of our night will be spent at a restaurant with my family. After that, though, I may hold you up to your little vixen act." _Shit, this woman is going to kill me, _he thought as his dick twitched, _Down boy_, _scrubs hide nothing_. Luckily_, _this train of thought was interrupted by a page. "I've got to run Baby, but please be careful and take whatever anyone says to you with a grain of salt, please," he teased, but Edward was actually quite worried about what Tanya might say to Bella. He didn't want her to open her mouth until he had the chance to explain his past to Bella, a task he was dreading.

*H*S*

The iron gates swung open to a reveal one of the most gorgeous homes Bella had ever seen. It was in a very desirable area of the city and boasted views of the lake that looked luminous with twinkling lights of boaters enjoying the warm evening. Tentatively ringing the bell, she was met with the sparkling blue eyes of James. Even though she was not interested in him romantically, there was no denying that Dr. Hunter was an extremely attractive man.

"Isabella, welcome, you look beautiful," James said opening the door wide and ushering her inside. Bella blushed and smoothed down her fitted navy blue dress. James continued, "Please come in. We're in the sitting room having cocktails." Noticing the bottle of wine she carried he took it from her with nod of thanks. "My mother will love this, thank you."

Bella followed James down the opulent hallway and into the formal parlor where Mr. and Mrs. Hunter rose to greet her as they entered. She was welcomed warmly by the elder Hunters and they gushed over her small gift. Once settled, James handed her a drink and Tanya finally made her entrance. Bella sighed as she looked over the beautiful strawberry blond. Her dress was, well, sparkly, pink and about two sizes too small, showing off way too much leg and way too much cleavage for a family dinner.

"Isabella, don't you look nice," Tanya gushed insincerely, "What a cute dress, but it's a bit big isn't it?"

James scowled at his cousins, "She looks beautiful, Tanya, leave her alone." He turned to Bella, "You always look gorgeous. Tanya has just forgotten that the junior section is not for 32 year-old women." The group chuckled while Tanya fumed.

"Edward always seemed to enjoy my choice in fashion, especially my smaller items….I can't imagine that his tastes have changed that much. I was just trying to give little Isabella here a bit of help," Tanya cooed as if she was speaking to a toddler.

Bella rolled her eyes, "I think you're right Tanya, his tastes have changed, quite dramatically." She left it at that, her meaning clear. Mrs. Hunter interrupted the awkward moment of silence that followed by letting everyone know that dinner was ready. As the group headed towards the dining room Bella felt the distinct pressure of James' hand on her lower back, gently pushing her in the right direction. While the contact didn't have the same crackling electricity as when Edward touched her, Bella had to admit that his touch wasn't unpleasant. They settled down to dinner and amiable conversation ensued.

"So," Mr. Hunter turned to Bella, "I was quite impressed to hear that the Chicago Philharmonic was able to recruit such a talented violinist as you right out of Julliard. Your parents must be so proud – will we meet them at a concert soon?"

His question was kind and sincere, but Bella winced inwardly, always feeling awkward when the question of her parents arose, "Oh, well, Mr. Hunter, my parents passed away some time ago and since they were only children and their parents have long since passed, it is only me." She looked down, not wanting to meet the stares of pity she was sure to receive.

"Darling," James gently took her hand in his, "I'm so sorry, Isabella, we didn't know…" he trailed off.

Bella quickly recovered and addressed the table, "No, its fine. It was a long time ago, and yes, Mr. Hunter, I'm sure they are very proud of me," She offered with a smile and the subject quickly changed to the events surrounding the symphony summer season.

As the meal progressed, Tanya was surprisingly quiet, taking the time to observe the young Isabella. It was clear that James was head over heels for the beautiful little brunette, and Tanya planned to use that to her advantage when the time came. She was a rational woman, on some levels, and could see why Edward was attracted to Isabella. She was young and sweet, just like fucking Rosalie Hale had been, well except that Isabella was actually pretty, when she stole Emmett right from under her nose. _That bitch Esme's panties must be wet at the thought of getting another sweet little daughter-in-law. Fuck if that's happening; I am the rightful next Mrs. Cullen. _Tanya turned to Bella, "So, Isabella, how has your time in Chicago been so far? Are you indulging in the many handsome men around town? I'm sure a little beauty like you must be getting asked out left and right."

James interjected on Bella's behalf, "I'm sure Isabella has been busy with work and volunteering and all…" He didn't really want her to bring up the fact that she was busy with Edward in her spare time.

Bella decided to speak up, not wanting the lovely meal Mrs. Hunter had prepared to go sour, "No, I've been seeing Edward Cullen, actually, and getting to know his family, especially Rosalie, a bit better."

Mrs. Hunter chimed in at that moment, "Sweetheart, be careful of the Cullens. They, especially Edward, have treated Tanya so poorly and my James too. I would hate to see you be the next victim in their twisted web of social image. It would be a shame for you to get hurt…you should focus more on people who want the best for you," her head not so subtly nodding to James.

Tanya agreed, "Yes Isabella, I know Edward, _very _well, and he is definitely the kind of man you have to be careful of. I can handle him, and trust me I have, and you can do better," she giggled, "I'm sure my cousin here can convince you! You're better off leaving the likes of Edward Cullen to women like me."

The conversation was quickly becoming uncomfortable, so Bella turned to James, "I noticed the lovely view of the lake. Would you mind showing me a bit more, I could use some air?" Mrs. Hunter was thrilled to the bone to hear Bella ask James for some alone time and she quickly ushered the young couple out to the back deck, letting them know to take their time before desert was served.

James led Bella out to the back deck which held a spectacular view of the lake. "Isabella, I'm so sorry that Tanya is, well Tanya. We put up with her because she is our family and her parents left her in our care when she was a little girl because they didn't 'feel ready to be parents.' I know that's not an excuse for her behavior, but please don't take what she says to heart. You should know also that Emmett Cullen broke her heart once upon a time, and she's tried to use Edward as a substitute every chance she got. I'm sorry to say that he didn't actually discourage her…." James trailed off, realizing his verbal vomit and stopped, covering Bella's hand on the banister with his.

Bella signed, not removing her hand from his grasp, "First of all, please, call me Bella. Secondly, you don't owe me apologies for anyone's behavior, especially not Tanya's. James," she looked into his eyes noticing again just how beautiful he was, "I am not worried about Tanya or Edward or the Cullens in general. I have been on my own since I was sixteen and I can make my own choices. But, thank you for being a good friend and caring so much about my well being."

James squeezed her hand, "No problem, Bella." They returned to the house and finished a lovely meal with chocolate cake. Bella bid them farewell with a promise to Tanya to tell Edward, 'hello'.

On her way home Bella picked up her phone and noticed three missed calls from Edward. Sighing, she turned on her Bluetooth and called him back.

Exhausted from his double shift, but worried about Bella, he had left his ringer on high and woke up immediately when it rang, "Hello Beautiful," he answered immediately seeing Bella's name and sweet face on his caller ID. "How was dinner?"

Bella responded, "It was fine, nothing I couldn't handle. But, Edward," she added sternly, "I think its time you told me about Tanya."

**Reviews are better than two gorgeous men fighting over you…..**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 has two parts; the second part will be out later this week. Thanks so much for all of the favorites, alerts, and reviews! I hope you all like it as the story starts to ramp up a bit….**

Chapter 9

Edward sighed into the phone, wishing for the hundredth time that Bella had not gone to dinner with the Hunters. Tanya's specialty was stirring up shit and Edward wanted Bella nowhere near her. "Bella," he stated calmly, "Tanya and I have a past, but I assure you that when we ran into her at dinner a few weeks ago it was first time I'd seen her in almost 10 years. I really don't know what she's thinking acting like she and I are close. Please, Baby, I'll tell you all about it, but I'd rather not do it over the phone," he pleaded.

Bella acquiesced because she believed Edward and knew it was a face-to-face kind of talk anyway. "Okay, Edward. But this thing with Tanya, along with some of the glares I've been getting when we go out have me thinking that you and I need to have a longer conversation if we're going to keep seeing each other…." She trailed off, not wanting to seem clingy, but really starting to wonder what kind of man Edward had been in his past.

_If we keep seeing each other? Shit,_ Edward thought, he had to make this right, quickly! "Beautiful," he back tracked, "Please, let me explain after dinner tomorrow night. I can't say I'm proud of everything I've done in the past, but it was all quite awhile ago."

Bella agreed to hear him out and he bid her a goodnight and sweet dreams. Pulling into the parking garage of her building, Bella got out of the car and made her way through the dark lot to the elevators. The security guard normally posted was nowhere to be seen and the garage was bit eerie. She hurried to the doorway turning sharply when a chuckle echoed nearby. Looking around she saw no one. Shaking her head to clear the silly thoughts Bella made her way upstairs.

Once inside she quickly shed her clothes and stepped into the warm shower. Leaning her head back to rinse out her hair Bella went over the events of the night. She liked James more than she thought she would, but still felt that, despite how handsome he was and clearly interested in her, a platonic relationship would be best. She was also a bit shaken by Tanya's ongoing insinuations about a sexual relationship with Edward that seems more current than he'd let on. _Ugh. Edward denied it and he wouldn't lie._ Thinking of Edward always got her heart pumping and her hands ghosted over her breasts as she remembered the last time they'd kissed and how his hands had lingered there making her stomach clench in desire…

She finished her shower quickly, not wanting lust to cloud her mind. As Bella drifted off to sleep she couldn't help but wonder about the strange chuckle in the garage. It had turned out to be a very interesting night, and with the concert, family dinner with the Cullens and her talk with Edward, tomorrow was likely to be just the same!

*H*S*

Edward shifted nervously back and forth as he waited for Bella after the concert in the foyer of the symphony hall. His family had left to go to the restaurant and get settled. He was to bring Bella once she finished gathering her things. Pacing and nervous about the conversation that needed to happen with the beautiful little brunette later that night, Edward did not hear James' footsteps until he was directly next to him, presumably looking for said brunette.

"James," Edward stated tersely, "What are you doing lurking around here? The concert's over."

"I was hoping to convince Isabella to join me for a late dinner," he continued smoothly, "Given your presence though," James rolled his eyes, "I'm going to assume she already has plans. But, since I waited anyway, maybe I'll stick around and say hello." James stared directly at Edward, unwilling to back down.

Before Edward could respond, the men were joined by Bella, who went to stand right next to Edward. The urge to be near him was a constant pull that she couldn't name, but didn't really want to fight it at this point. He wrapped his arm possessively around her slim waist and gently pressed his lips to her temple.

James stifled a scowl, not wanting his intense jealousy to enter the picture. The anger he felt towards Edward was over powering as he watched him touch Isabella so freely. _Just how deep in were they?_ He thought to himself, turning to Bella, "You played beautifully tonight Isabella," a smile played on his lips as she interrupted and reminded him to call her _Bella._ Enjoying Edward's clenched jaw more than he should,he continued, "I had been hoping to convince you to go to dinner with me, but Edward here was just telling me that you already have other plans. Maybe we can meet up some other time?"

Bella's noncommittal, "uh huh," did nothing to ease Edward's anger and he tightened his grip on her, just a bit. She looked at James, "Thank you for the roses, though, they are lovely."

Glaring at James, Edward thought, _What an asshole, sending flowers to my woman and asking her out right in front of me!_ But then he reminded himself that in fact Bell was not yet his, and after hearing about his past she might not want to be.

Not missing a beat, James turned to Bella, "You're very welcome. I did warn you that I may be inspired to do such things from time to time. I thought you played so beautifully at the matinee on Wednesday, I couldn't help myself!"

Bella frowned; that concert had been the exact same program James had heard on opening night with his family. _Why would he want to hear the same set twice in a row?_ Her train of thought was interrupted by Edward reminding her that his family was waiting. They said their goodbyes, Bella still unable to shake the feeling that there was something odd about James' behavior.

James watched as Edward practically pulled Bella out of the building, his hands all over her small waist and lower back. She giggled as he whispered something in her ear and James sighed. He was losing yet another battle to Edward Cullen – he could sense it and the thought infuriated him. Additionally, James did have real feelings for Bella. To lose her to Edward made it even worse. _Perhaps Tanya was right,_ he grudgingly admitted to himself; _maybe interceding to make sure this relationship never has a chance is going to be inevitable._

**Thanks for reading! Part 2 is coming soon – please read and review….**


	10. Chapter 9, part II

**The second part of chapter 9…..**

Chapter 9, Part II

As Edward and Bella made their way to the lot, his hands were wandering more than just a bit. Traveling down her waist to the curve of her hip, dipping around her back to the top of her ass, they made a circuit that was pleasurable, but mildly aggravating given so much was left unsaid between the two of them. She turned to Edward and asked, "What has gotten into you? Would you like me to stand still so you can pee on my leg?" The question left her mouth with a hint of annoyance, which she actually did feel. _Who was he to act so possessive when there was obviously so much he needed to say?_

The dark parking lot luckily concealed his smirk; Edward wanted Bella to believe that her angry kitten act affected him rather than being a major turn on. "Sorry Beautiful," he responded ruefully, "Hunter just gets under by skin. Plus, he was looking at you like you are something to eat. I'm beginning to think that whole family has issues – maybe there is inbreeding or something going on."

Bella smacked his arm somewhat playfully, "Stop Edward! Besides Tanya, they are nice people. Though, I have to say James' attention is a bit strange. I made it clear to him that I just wanted to be friends."

"What do you mean 'his attention'?" he asked, concerned.

Bella sighed, not wanting him to worry, "It's just a bit odd. He attended the same concert practically twice in a row, and has sent me four bouquets over the course of three weeks. He told me he's not the kind of man to give up easily, but I think it's all a bit over the top."

Opening the car door and making sure Bella was safely inside, Edward walked tight lipped around the car and got in. He knew that the Hunters were up to something. Though he didn't think James was dangerous, he knew for a fact Tanya had a tendency towards drama. The thought of Bella getting caught up in whatever scheme those two had concocted made him sick.

Turning to Bella he stated calmly, but sternly, "Baby, please tell me if James makes you uncomfortable in any way. I don't like this at all."

Bella nodded, reaching over to squeeze his knee in understanding as they headed towards the restaurant.

*H*S*

The cheerful lights of the restaurant greeted the couple as they walked through the door. While Edward spoke to the hostess Bella's eyes wandered around the room. Though she had never been here, she knew this venue was popular for symphony goers given its proximity to the concert hall plus good food and an elegant environment. She allowed Edward to guide her to the table full of Cullens with his hand resting gently on her lower back, his little finger gently brushing the top of her ass.

"Bella, great job tonight," Alice practically shouted in her enthusiasm as they sat down, "You are one of the few women who can manage to hold a violin for that long and look hot at the same time! Where do you find those sexy little dresses?"

"Um, Herve Leger is one of my favorites," Bella answered shyly. Alice and Rose nodded in assent as Edward pulled out her chair. She wasn't used to people asking about her clothes, but, judging by the fact that the Cullen women regularly wore haute couture head-to-toe, she had a feeling they noticed everything about a person's attire.

Each member of the family greeted her warmly as she began to look over the menu. "Bella," Carlisle commented, "Wonderful performance tonight! How have you been settling into Chicago so far?"

"Pretty well, thank you for asking Dr. Cullen - Edward has done a great job of showing me around. The city is really lovely."

Emmett snickered, "I never knew you were such a little tour guide Eddie," ignoring the smack to the back of his head from Rose he continued, "Bella, thanks for the awesome food you've been leaving for me with Edward, even though I do have to wrestle it away from him most of the time. It's really sweet of you to do that."

Jasper nodded in agreement, "Yeah, Bella, and thank you. I know you're busy, you don't really have to make extra treats for us…" he trailed off, "But I'm so glad you do! Damn, woman you can cook." The table laughed and Edward beamed, pulling Bella's chair a bit closer. He had never had anything resembling the relationships that his family had, and frankly, until the past year or so had never really wanted any part of it. A quick fuck without promises or pretense had satisfied him throughout his teens and twenties. But, even before meeting Bella there had been a small part of him, albeit growing bigger each day that wanted more. From the moment he saw Bella he had a feeling she might be the missing piece; spending time with her only made him surer of this fact.

Dinner continued on pleasantly with Bella getting to know more about Alice and Jasper. They seemed like really nice people so Bella readily agreed when Alice asked to set up a "girl's day" with her and Rose. Though she'd had a few good friends in college, most of the young women in Chicago had been less than friendly. But, Bella had felt immediately connected to Rose. Maybe it was because they both had been loners much of their childhood, never really fitting in with the other girls. She could see that Alice, though probably despite never having social problems, was also going to become a good friend.

Their dessert was interrupted by two young men approaching the table. One looked to be about twelve years old, while the other, likely an older brother given their resemblance, seemed around twenty. The Cullens were an intimidating group by any stretch, especially when all of the handsome men were in attendance, so it was surprise to see boys march right up to the table. The younger of the two boys stood next to Bella and cleared his throat, "Um, are you Miss Swan?" he asked in a precocious tone.

Edward narrowed his eyes, not at the kid, but at the older brother standing behind him not even trying to hide his drooling over Bella. The other men at the table snickered into their napkins and watched the scene unfold.

"Yes," Bella answered lightly, "I'm Isabella Swan. Can I help you with something?"

"Absolutely!" The younger boy responded, "We just came from the concert and you were awesome. I play the piano and my brother," he pointed to the gaping man behind him, "is studying music theory at UDub. Can you sign our program?"

Bella smiled, "Of course," and she proceeded to give the boys her signature. Handing him back the program didn't lead to their exit, so the table looked expectantly at the boys. "Is there anything else?" Bella asked.

"Yeah," the boy said, "My brother thinks you're hot and wants to know if you have a boyfriend."

The table's stifled chuckles got louder as the older boy punched his brother in the arm. Edward tightened his grip on Bella's shoulder, "Yes, she has a boyfriend. She was nice enough to sign your things, so why don't you two head back to mommy and daddy."

Bella looked at Edward, shocked that he would proclaim that in front of his whole family, when the two of them hadn't even discussed it. After the boys left, the table erupted in laughter. Emmett was the first to speak, "Seriously Eddie, are you threatened by kids? I mean, I'm sure our little brunette cutie here is now part of their spank bank – owe Rosie, what the hell?" Emmett squealed as his normally sweet wife pulled on his ear, hard!

"Shut up Emmett! That asshole was at least twenty years old and ogling Bella – that shit is not cool," Edward hissed.

"Language, Edward! And Emmett, don't be crude – are you two sure you're mine?" Esme scolded. Turning to Bella she attempted to calm everyone down, "I think it's very nice to see young people studying the arts, and it is really sweet that those boys appreciate music."

"More like they appreciate Bella," Jasper snickered, causing Bella to blush and Carlisle and Emmett to burst into laughter. Alice smacked her husband, telling him to leave Bella alone.

"Of course those boys have a crush on you Bella! I told you that you're a little hottie!" Her words caused Bella to blush even more and Edward could sense that even though the teasing was good natured, she was becoming uncomfortable as the center of attention.

"Okay – we're leaving!" Edward announced with finality. The couple said their goodnights, with the girls making plans to meet up soon. Edward fought with his father over the bill, winning in the end, and the two made their way out to the valet.

Helping Bella into the car, he remained quiet as he navigated towards her apartment. This was going to be interesting.

*H*S*

The ride was silent. Bella needed to think about what was going to happen and Edward needed to think about how he was going to explain himself to Bella. He parked the car and they made their way up to her apartment, still in total silence.

"Please, come on in," Bella said opening the door for Edward, "Can I get you anything?"

He sat down, shaking his head no. Edward sighed as Bella took her place next to him on the couch. "There is so much I need to tell you," He began hesitantly, "But I'm afraid that you'll run screaming."

Bella took a deep breath, "I won't run Edward, just tell me."

"When I was a teenager, I thought I had it all figured out. Girls threw themselves at me because I was a Cullen and good looking. I took what they had to offer. I made no one any promises – my interactions with women, until you, have been basically get in, fuck, and get out," he cringed at his crassness, but it was the truth. Edward took a deep breath and plowed ahead, "If I did have repeat, er, interactions with someone, it was based on the idea that we both knew what it was: No commitment, no relationship, no romance, just sex," He eyed Bella suspiciously, looking at her reaction, but her blank expression gave nothing away, so he continued, "Tanya was my only miscalculation. She was totally in love with Emmett, hell, maybe she still is. She wanted him, and he wanted nothing to do with her. Her anger that he chose Rosalie, who she deemed totally inferior to herself, consumed her. Tanya then set her sights on me, the next best thing to Emmett I guess, and she basically propositioned me. I took the bait, because I was a horny teenager, and we hooked up, whenever, wherever. This lasted for a few years. After about a year I knew she wanted more, but I didn't cave and I just took what she offered, which was whatever I wanted. When I went to Columbia for college, Tanya suggested we try to be together, as in a relationship. I turned her down, of course, and it was ugly. She cried and screamed and flew off the handle. I considered myself lucky that I never promised anything to that crazy bitch. I left and never looked back."

Bella nodded, trying to digest everything she'd just heard, "But she made it seem like you'd been together more recently…"

Edward sighed, probably the tenth time he had done so that night, "Whenever I came home from college to visit, she was there…and willing….we hooked up a few times until she transferred to college in California my junior year. I knew she was crazy, but I wasn't thinking about the long run, just a quick fuck in the moment. I swear the first time I saw her again since she moved was that night at Gibson's."

Bella nodded, "So after that experience your behavior changed?"

"No, Bella," He acquiesced, "I kept treating women the same way – a quick fuck and out. I never promised them anything, and they never expected anything in return. The only woman I've ever tried to date…to commit to, is you. I can't deny my behavior, but I can tell you that over the past two years, I've realized that I want something more, and I truly believe that you are it."

The silence grew thick between them as the minutes ticked by. Bella didn't know what to say. She wanted to believe him, but what if he was just a manwhore and she was next on his list of conquests? Bella looked him directly in the eyes, "Edward, you're telling me that you are basically a lifelong player. What do you expect me to do with this information?"

Edward grasped her hands and frantically shook his head. "No, Bella! A player is someone who lies to women to get them into bed and then dumps them. I made my intentions clear with each and every girl from the first moment. YOU are the only woman I've dated, attempted to woo, for lack of a better word… the only woman I actually want," he dropped his head into his hands, letting her out of his grasp, waiting like a man at execution.

Bella looked at Edward. She wanted to believe him. She desperately hoped that his past was just an expression of an immature and indifferent young man and that now he had changed. She made the decision in that moment, maybe one that would eventually break her heart, but she couldn't leave him. After all, she'd lost her whole family; broken hearts were something she knew how to handle, if it came to that. But, walking away from Edward because of bad choices in his youth was something she wasn't ready to do just yet.

"Edward," she began softly, "Please look at me," he raised his head to meet her gaze. "I cannot hold you responsible for actions that took place well before you met me. Just answer me honestly: Am I just another girl to you? Another woman to play with and then leave?"

Her beautiful brown eyes shined up at him and he willed her to believe his response, "I promise you Bella, I have never felt about any woman the way I feel about you. You are my first attempt at a real relationship and hopefully my only attempt at one. With you, I want everything."

Bella wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself to him on the sofa. "Did you mean it when you told those kids that you are my boyfriend?"

Responding to her touch, he trailed his nose up and down her throat, breathing in her lovely scent, "Yes, Baby, I want only you and I don't want any other mother fuckers touching you. Can you agree to that?" He smiled as she shuddered when his warm hands roamed her body.

"Yes," Bella replied, "If you can promise me that I am the only woman in your life, I can agree to start a relationship with you…but Edward," she looked deeply into his bright green eyes, "Please don't hurt me, I've had enough heartbreak to last a lifetime."

Edward sighed in relief and pulled Bella so that she was straddling his lap, her snug dress riding dangerously up her thighs, "Baby, I promise, you are it for me. I know we haven't been dating that long, but I just know it." He kissed her deeply, his hands wandering up her silky thighs. She returned the kiss, moaning into his mouth, their tongues tangling.

Bella pulled away, grasping his face in her hands, "I believe you Edward. I want this, I want you," she kissed him again, grinding her lace covered pussy, which was practically exposed given the length of her dress and their current position, against his obvious erection. He responded immediately, moving his hands up her body to fully cup her breasts, her little nipples poking deliciously into his palms. Not satisfied with the cloth covering her, he frantically began to search for the zipper on her tight little dress, wanting her naked as quickly as possible.

Bella groaned and rocked her hips against his with abandon. However, when she felt him locate the zipper on the side of her dress and begin to tug it down she stilled. Tonight was not the night to move forward too quickly physically. Though she believed every word Edward had said, she was not ready to bare herself for a man who had seen countless women, most of whom were more beautiful than her no doubt naked and exposed for his enjoyment.

"Edward, please stop," she whispered.

"Gorgeous, what is it? I just want to see you, to touch you," he kissed down her neck, moving his hand into the small space of zipper he had pulled down, his fingers brushing against a bare nipple as he groaned realizing she had been practically naked under that little dress all night.

Bella pulled away, looking at him, "Edward, I do want you…this has just been a long night. I need time to process a bit," she stated as she climbed off of him, pulling her zipper back up. "Can I see you tomorrow?"

Willing down his erection, Edward took a deep breath. _Quit attacking her, jackass! Give her a minute to come to terms with everything!_ "Of course, Darling. You are so sweet, so forgiving. I am just so happy you've agreed to give me a chance…"

Bella gently took his hand and guided him towards the door. Kissing him softly she murmured, "Please, Edward, don't make me regret it."

He kissed her back soundly, pouring his response into the kiss. He waited until she had shut the door to make his way down the hall. _I won't Beautiful, _he thought, _I promise._

**See? So maybe he's not a bad guy after all….Please review! I love all of the alerts and favorites, but I can't really tell what you all think unless you let me know….**


	11. Chapter 10

**Thanks for all the alerts! I hope you enjoy the story as it progresses…Remember it is rated M for a reason.**

Chapter 10

In the days following their conversation Bella and Edward continued to grow closer. Edward made good on his promise to be faithful and attentive to Bella, and she remained steadfast in her determination to trust him, despite his past behavior.

Bella couldn't believe how the time was passing, and before she knew it June was coming to an end. Work was going well and Bella enjoyed playing with such a talented group of musicians. Personally, she and Edward were moving ahead at a pace she comfortable with, though she got the impression that he wanted more physically; Edward wasn't pushing. The one thing still bothering Bella was James' constant attention. In his defense, she had agreed to be friends, but he continued to make it clear that he wanted more than she was willing to give.

In some ways, the flowers and attendance at her concerts were sweet, but Bella had to agree with Edward that it was getting a bit creepy. Paranoia set in at times, with moments where she felt like there were eyes on her, just like in the garage weeks ago. _This is nothing,_ she thought to herself, dismissing her feelings about James, chalking it up to him just being a persistent suitor. Besides, it was pretty clear that though he may have affection for her, he had much more affinity to compete with Edward. Additionally, Tanya had been lying lower, so she decided to keep her concerns to herself and "grin and bear it," as they say.

The doorbell shook Bella out of her thoughts and she quickly smoothed down her white sundress. She had chosen it specifically for today, as it was the Cullen's annual Fourth of July picnic. Attending as Edward's girlfriend meant many eyes on her and she wanted to look nice. The dress was light with an airy skirt that fluttered just above her knees, while the top was a more fitted design that attached with small straps around her neck halter style. Fluffing her hair, Bella opened the door for her delicious looking boyfriend.

"Hi Gorgeous," Edward said looking over Bella appreciatively. _Damn she's hot_, he thought leaning down to kiss her plump lips. The taste was as sweet as ever and he simply couldn't get enough. Reaching one arm around her small waist, he traveled up her back to her neck and pulled her close, their bodies flush. He gripped her perky ass firmly causing her to moan into his mouth and touch the tip of her tongue to his. The kiss deepened for a moment longer before Edward pulled away.

"Baby," he practically purred, squeezing her ass gently, "We should stop before I end up keeping you here all day." Bella giggled as Edward not so discretely adjusted himself, and they headed out the door.

*H*S*

The Cullen estate was as picturesque as Bella remembered from that last time she had been there. Pulling up to the circular driveway, Edward gave his keys to the valet his parents has hired for the event, given the large number of guests expected to attend. Hand in hand they strolled through the spacious entry way and house into the yard. _Well, _Bella thought,_ "yard" couldn't really describe it, "grounds" is more apt._ Truly, Esme had outdone herself. The pool, with rock fountains and cliffs along the edges flowed seamlessly to the immaculate gardens and lawn with walkways leading down to the lake's edge. Bella sighed taking in the beautiful scenery, thinking that in addition to being a talented designer, Esme was a sweet and lovely woman. Bella felt blessed to have found a family with whom she connected so quickly on so many levels.

Feeling her whoosh of breath let out Edward turned to Bella, "What's up Baby?" he asked.

"Nothing," she replied, "Just looking at how beautiful it is out here."

"Eh," he shrugged, "The view is nothing compared to you," Edward gushed, purposely laying on the cheesiness with a wolfish grin.

Bella smacked him playfully as they approached his family settled near the bar area. "You are so corny Edward," she laughed, "Do lines like that really work?"

Before he could respond, Emmett tore Bella from his side, picking her up off the ground in a big hug. "B! I saw that smack – what'd the asshole do now?"

"Language Em, geez!" Rose quipped, quickly hugging Bella as Emmett set her down.

"He didn't do anything Emmett. He was just being his cheesy self." Bella laughed as the group continued their greetings. Carlisle and Esme shared a happy smile. No woman had ever brought out the playful side of their moody son. Each day that passed they appreciated the brunette beauty more and more for easing Edward out of his self-imposed stupor. The afternoon passed nicely with good food and company. After a few cocktails, Edward decided to steal away his beautiful girlfriend for some much needed alone time.

"Where are we going?" Bella asked as Edward gently led her towards the lake.

"There is a little cottage down a ways by the dock," he replied slyly, "I thought you might like a private tour." At that moment Edward stopped in his tracks. James was approaching, his gaze fixed on Bella. Of course the Hunters would have been invited; they were friends of the Cullen family after all. Edward just loathed the way that the man eyed Bella like she was a piece of meat.

"Edward, Bella," James smoothly greeted them, "How nice to see you again."

"Sorry, James, we'll have to chat later. Bella and I were just on our way down to the lake." Without waiting for a response Edward continued to lead Bella towards the small cottage set to the far side of the family's dock. He tugged her inside and shut the door. Bella had to admit that the cottage was sweet. It boasted a little table and small love seat with access directly to the water from the back door.

"It's so sweet," Bella sighed as Edward pulled her close.

"Uh, huh," he nodded, wrapping his arms around her and moving them both towards the love seat. He began kissing up and down the column of her slender neck, turning her so she was facing him. Gently settling her down so she was straddling his lap, Edward continued to kiss her and began playing with the ties at the back of her dress. "Do you know how this little bow has been teasing me all fucking day?"

"No…" she breathed, barely able to form a coherent sentence with his lips and hands all over her. She felt the ties give way as Edward kissed her deeply. She shuddered, slightly embarrassed as he pulled down the top of her dress to her waist, revealing her bare breasts to his gaze for the first time.

"Fuck," he moaned, not expecting her to be naked, "You are gorgeous," he stated leaning back a bit to look her over thoroughly. Not wanting to waste another second Edward leaned in and took her left pink nipple in this mouth, while teasing the other one with his fingers. He loved seeing her exposed, and damn if she wasn't perfect! He sucked harder, eliciting a gasp from Bella and causing her to buck against his hips, rubbing her sweet little pussy directly where he needed it most.

Upon feeling the sensation of his erection directly hitting her clit, Bella groaned in pleasure, all thoughts of self-consciousness gone. She boldly ground against him as he licked, sucked and teased her breasts with his mouth. Then she felt his hand travel under her skirt and towards her center. He'd brushed against her there before, but never ventured beneath her clothing. Her stomach curled in anticipation as his finger brushed against her.

"Is this okay, Baby?" he asked, "I want to make you feel good." She nodded, her fingers running through his hair.

"Oh shit, Edward!" she exclaimed as his long fingers pushed her panties aside and twirled around her clit.

The sound of her name on his lips did strange things to Edward and he became more determined than ever to hear it again and again. Taking his index finger he began circling her opening, moaning at the wetness he found there. _She is so tight!_ Pushing his index finger in just a bit he felt Bella tense in his arms, "Okay Baby?" he asked, not wanting to hurt her.

"Perfect, don't stop," Bella breathed. This felt so much better than her fumbling with a vibrator! Edward suddenly sucked a nipple back into his mouth, speeding up his ministrations with his fingers. Her toes began to tingle as the familiar feeling stirred in her lower stomach, but about a ten fold magnitude more than anything she'd experienced on her own.

Pushing his finger in deeper in, Edward moaned at the tight, wet, heat. _My dick is going to love that – someday,_ he thought. He would never push Bella, well not to that degree anyway, but damn if he wasn't going to encourage as much as he could while maintaining respect. Whimpers of pleasure flooded his ears as soft walls fluttered around his finger, informing him that Bella was close. Her fingers dug into his shoulders and she threw her head back, thrusting her perfect round breasts directly in his face. Quickly taking what was offered, he pulled the soft flesh into his mouth hard and released it with a pop. Moving his lips up her neck, he whispered in her ear, his tongue lightly touching the shell, "Let go Baby, come for me."

Bella felt herself falling over the when the tip of his tongue touched her ear. Light flashed behind her eyes as she screamed his name, grinding herself into his hand. The sensation went on and on until he gently pulled his finger out of her. Slumping against his shoulder she buried her head there, "Thank you that was incredible."

"Holy hell, that was the hottest thing I've ever seen - don't thank me!" And it was true. Though he'd had many partners, giving pleasure while not simultaneously taking his own was something that had only happened on a few rare occasions, and they were nowhere near as sexy as what he had just experienced. Thinking of his own release drew attention to his rock hard cock and he began to try and will it down when he felt two small hands fiddle with his belt and reach to cover his cock. Bella scooted back on his lap, making space for herself to fully wrap her hand around him through the hole in his boxer briefs. He started to protest, albeit half heartedly, but Bella stopped him.

"Shh, I want to make you feel good too," she murmured, "Tell me what you like, what to do." Bella had seen porn before and listened when her girlfriends talked about this stuff, so she understood the basics, but wanted to be sure he would enjoy it.

"Beautiful, I will love whatever you do," Edward responded, and he meant it. He loved that she was learning on him, and would be her willing subject all day! And experiment she did – rubbing, stroking and bringing him to orgasm embarrassingly fast all over her hand.

"Wow, Baby…just wow," Edward kissed her soundly, reading over to grab a towel from the nearby table to clean them up. "That was perfect," he kissed her again.

Bella smiled and pressed her lips to his again. She started to lift the top of her dress back up, but Edward stopped her, giving her little nipples each a kiss before tying it himself. As they adjusted their clothing, Bella got that odd felling again of being watched. She looked at the side window, and realizing that the drapes were open the whole time she blushed.

"What's up sweetheart, why the blush?" Edward asked. When she explained her fears that someone could've seen them he calmed her by explaining that no one outside of the family knew about the cottage. Besides, he stated, "None of the guests would wander this far away from the party." The couple finished getting situated, gave each other another sweet kiss and headed hand-in-hand back to the party, feeling sated and closer than ever.

*H*S*

James watched Edward and Bella head back up to the house, rubbing his cock as he moved from his place by the cottage window. When he'd followed them down here he had just hoped to eavesdrop a little and get a better sense of what he was up against in terms of gaining Bella's affection. He had not expected to see the unbelievably sexy sights that he had! He peered down at the image on his iPhone of Bella's bare tits jutted forward, her head thrown back in ecstasy. Luckily he had been able to capture her without that asshole so he could imagine it was himself giving her such pleasure, as it someday would be.

He stroked his dick again recalling the beauty that was Bella in all her glory, her perfect little nipples and plump lips forming a round "o." He imagined his mouth on her, bringing her to orgasm, and he came hard in his hand, cleaning himself off on his boxers.

Heading back up to the house, he knew that a call to Tanya was in order. Bella needed to be his, and judging by her intimacy with Edward, he would need his cousin's special brand of crazy to help him achieve that goal. He hated to take the low road, especially since he knew that he was the better man. But, now that he'd seen almost everything Bella had to offer, James knew he'd never get enough.

**Okay, so I know this is creepy at the end, but we've got to see what we're dealing with in terms of James and Tanya…..but the story won't get angsty, I promise! Please review and thanks for all the alerts and favorites. There'll be another shorter chapter up later this week.**


	12. Chapter 11

**Thanks for all of the alerts and favorites everyone! In this chapter you just get a bit more interaction with Bella and the Cullens…Remember please that this story is rated M. Enjoy!**

Chapter 11

The week after the party flew by and Bella soon found herself prepping for her day with Rose and Alice. The plan was to go shopping, have lunch, shop some more, and then meet the boys back at Edward's place for a barbeque.

Bella waited for the girls to pick her up, thinking about how truly happy she felt. Great job, sweet boyfriend, and new friends – life was finally falling into place. The only thing nagging at the corner of her mind was the ongoing sense of paranoia that reared its ugly head every now and then. Though James hadn't contacted her, the rest of the fourth of July party the intensity of his gaze had made her feel naked. Of course Edward commented on it, and he had kept his arms around her, covering and protecting the whole night.

Alice knocked loudly on the door, practically jumping on Bella when she opened it. "Bella!" The petite woman exclaimed, "What a great apartment." Though she knew from Rose how nice the place was, Alice was always one to form her own opinion. Female friendships did not come easy for Alice. She was beautiful, wealthy, and had had the same wonderful boyfriend, now husband, since she was fourteen years old – not exactly welcoming traits for some of the vapid women of upper society Chicago. But, with Rose her connection had been instant, even before she started dating Emmett, and she felt the same bond with Bella.

After the ooh and ahhs over outfits and the apartment had ceased, the girls loaded into Rose's Mercedes and headed towards the shops downtown. Bella had not visited the "Magnificent Mile," but she loved shopping after living in New York for so long, though she hated to admit it. Rose pulled up to the valet, who shamelessly flirted with the girls making them chuckle. Bella looked at Rose's blush, glad she wasn't the only one cursed with the trait. Rose was not conventionally beautiful, but her inner sweetness shined through in everything she said and did, and Bella could easily see why Emmett was so captivated with her.

Rose caught Bella looking at her, "What?" she asked, wondering what Bella's wistful expression meant.

"Nothing, Rose. I was just thinking how you seem to charm everyone who meets you – even the poor valet was dumbstruck!"

Rose laughed at the beautiful little brunette, "Yeah Bella, I'm sure with you and Alice around I was NOT the focus of that guy's attention." Bella shook her head knowing she would be unable to convince Rose of her allure. The trio headed towards the shops, ready to buy.

After collecting a few cute dresses that she could wear during concerts, Bella allowed Alice to tug her towards La Perla, where they had an appointment with a personal shopper. Sipping champagne and perusing the racks filled with beautiful lace and silk, Bella began to pick out a few pieces, giving into her love of lingerie.

Rose looked at Bella's somewhat racy selections and giggled. "I bet Edward loses his mind when he sees you in those! Emmett loves my collection of La Perla, and I know that Esme has an account here – maybe sexy lingerie is a Cullen man thing…." She trailed off.

Covering her ears, Alice squealed, "Eww, Eww, and Eww! I don't want to hear what my brothers and dad like during sexy times! Geez Rose!"

Rose and Bella laughed as Alice continued, "But, Bella, I have say that I'm dying to know, as your friend, how things are going with you and Edward…" she trailed off, wanting the dirty details, mentally forcing herself to forget this was her brother they were talking about.

Bella took a long gulp of champagne for courage before answering, "For me, its more about my own insecurities than anything that Edward does –"

Rose snorted, cutting Bella off, "Bella! You're perfect in every sense – what insecurities?" Rose knew about being self conscious. Though she'd become more comfortable in her skin over the years, she knew that Emmett could do better than herself in the looks department. But, her husband always made her feel perfect, and she could see that Edward treated Bella the same way. The times she has bee around them her brother-in-law treated Bella likes she was precious.

Bella continued, "You have to understand, just between us, Edward is my first everything, even kiss – "

Alice interrupted, "But you're so hot!" Bella almost fell off her chair laughing when she reported that Edward had said the exact same thing.

Bella moved ahead with her story, "Anyway, my lack of personal life before my move to Chicago is another conversation for another day. The things I've done with Edward are my only experiences with sex of any form and he explained to me that in his past he was less than chaste," both women widened their eyes at Bella. Of course they knew about Edward's promiscuity, but they didn't think he would talk about it so early on. The small brunette finished up looking down at her hands, "So, each time we move into new physical territory I wonder if it was better for him with someone else."

Rose truly felt for the young woman and gently patted her thigh, "Bella, Edward has never brought a date to our parent's house, much less practically shouted from the rooftops that someone is 'his woman.' But," she said gently, "If you haven't slept with him yet I think you should wait until you're totally sure."

Bella smiled at Rose loving the fact that this woman cared so much about her. "No, we haven't had sex – but we've done enough that he'll appreciate the new lingerie," she laughed. "But seriously, you're right Rose. I'm not ready yet. I want to be in love and have my partner be in love with me."

Alice nodded knowingly. She knew her brother as well as she knew herself in some respects and it was clear to her that he was totally and irrevocably in love with Bella. But, he needed to realize it and tell her himself. Alice raised her glass to Bella and Rose, "You're right Bella – to love." They clinked glasses and continued to shop for items that would make their men very happy.

*H*S*

Back at Edward's place, the guys were finishing up their second round of beers when Emmett asked out of the blue, "So what the fuck is up with James Hunter's obsession with Bella?"

Edward choked, not realizing Emmett had noticed James' annoying infatuation with his girl. "What do you mean?"

"Cut the shit Edward. That guy looks at Bella like he wants to eat her alive. Plus, Rose had Bella on speaker phone the other day and she mentioned she was weirded out by the fact that James sent like four flower arrangements in two weeks. Rose told her that he was just persistent, but I know she thought it was creepy. Then, how he was staring at her at mom and dad's party was just evil – what you are going to do about it?"

Edward sighed and looked to Jasper, who just nodded in Emmett's direction, "Yeah dude, I've noticed it too. It's freaky."

"I know," he said running his hands through his hair, "But what can I do? Bella just chalks it up to him having a crush or something. She doesn't realize how fucking crazy the Hunter family truly is. She is kinda sensitive about our age difference, and the times I've tried to tell her I thought she was being naïve she got annoyed and took as a dig at how young she is…I mean I know Tanya is bat shit insane, but James – besides the fact that he's always been a total douche, doesn't seem like he would actually hurt Bella…"

Emmett groaned at the mention of Tanya, recalling the hours he'd held his poor wife crying in high school over whatever horrible joke or teasing that awful woman had dished out to her. Additionally, Tanya made no secret of how she wanted Emmett, and Rose paid the price. "Edward, you've got to make sure she understands what kind of people the Hunters are – all of them," Emmett said sternly.

Edward agreed and explained that he was looking a bit more into James' behavior, even though he hadn't told Bella. He knew she was scared and he didn't want her to worry.

"Good," Emmett said, "So…about Bella. Where did you guys disappear to during the party the other night? You were gone for quite awhile and you when came back you looked pretty happy," he finished with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Jasper joined in the teasing, "Yeah Edward, geez, a twenty-two year old…that must be something."

Edward chuckled, knowing his brother-in-law was just joking and meant no disrespect, "Bella is something, that's for sure. But, she really has no experience with men and I'm trying to show her that I want her without scaring her, you know? And Jasper, don't say a word, there are some things men don't want to know about their sister!"

Emmett agreed, "Yeah, it was the same with Rosie. She didn't really know what to do, but I was more than happy to be her teacher!" The guys laughed and joked about sex, but always maintaining respect for their girls.

Small hands snaked around his waist and warm breasts pushed against his back, making Edward's laughter die down. Turing he looked into the beautiful eyes of his Bella, "When did you get back, we didn't even hear you?" She looked as beautiful as ever in a little black dress that was causal but sexy at the same time. He couldn't help but notice the bags around her feet, and that some of them had that special ivory bow around the top, signifying a store that he personally loved. "Whatcha got there?" he playfully asked peering into the bags.

Bella slapped his hands away as Alice squealed, "Leave her alone Edward! You'll see soon enough."

Jasper pulled his wife into the next room muttering something about being inappropriate and that they would put the finishing touches on dinner. Bella blushed and tip toed up to place a soft kiss on Edward's lips. The kiss began sweetly, but when he started thinking about what might be in those little ivory bags Edward's dick twitched and he pushed his tongue into Bella's mouth, groaning as he grabbed her waist tightly. She responded and soon his twitch had become a rock hard erection and he moved his mouth down his girl's soft neck, his hands now cupping her breasts and rubbing his thumbs across her nipples.

"Whoa!" Emmett's caused Bella to drop back down to her toes hard, Edward's hands shifting off her breasts forcefully, "Crap on a cracker Eddie! Do you have to molest her before dinner?"

Edward pinched his nose with his fingers and willed down his intensely firm dick, holding Bella closer to hide his situation from Emmett. "Everything's out on the patio – we'll be there in a second," he hissed at his brother.

"Sure, sure Eddie, but you might want to take care of that," he snarked waving towards Edward's crotch, "You don't want to scare the girls…or Jasper." He laughed and ran as Edward looked for something to throw in his direction.

Bella giggled and he couldn't help but smile back. _This sweet girl, these silly moments, this is what I've been missing…I'm never letting her go,_ he thought to himself, a bit surprised. He knew he felt something special for Bella from the moment he first saw her, but this feeling of never wanting to let her go was growing stronger by the minute, and the emotion he was pretty sure lay underneath was a bit scary for him to admit to – though he knew what it was because his family and their partners were full of it and he witnessed it everyday. He was falling in love with Bella Swan.

*H*S*

Dinner had been a really fun event, with laughing and teasing between the siblings that Bella wasn't used to, but really enjoyed. After telling everyone good night Edward and Bella moved in the kitchen to start cleaning up.

Edward stood behind her at the counter while she was gathering the last of the dishes, trapping her in his arms. Brushing her long mahogany locks aside he began nipping and licking up her neck to her ear, smiling as she shuddered beneath his touch. "Come on Baby," he whispered, "Let's go in the other room, I'll finish this tomorrow."

Unable to deny him, Bella acquiesced and allowed him to lead her towards the living room, though he didn't stop there and instead headed down the hallway where his room was located. Bella's breath hitched when she realized their destination. But, she relaxed when Edward explained they would never do anything she wasn't ready for, and that he wanted to be close to her.

"Ugh, that feels good," Bella moaned as she felt her knees gently bump the back of the bed. Edward held her upright; her legs jelly at this point, as he kissed her deeply, his hands roaming the exposed portion of her back. She felt him pull down the zipper of her dress and push the fabric down her body until it pooled at her feet, leaving her in nothing but her black strapless bra and small matching panties.

Edward's eyes and hands moved all over her, drinking in each inch of her perfect skin and body. "Damn, you are gorgeous," he breathed. His eyes widened when Bella boldly reached behind and unsnapped her bra, throwing it to the side, offering her pink nipples to him, one of which he quickly sucked into this mouth. _I love it when she gets feisty, _he thought. Edward released her nipple with a pop and pushed her down on the bed, motioning for her to scoot back up towards the head board. Once she was settled against his pillows he reached up her smooth legs and grabbed the sides of her panties. Looking her in the eye he slowly pulled them down, exposing her fully to him for the first time. Lying there, completely naked in his bed, legs slightly spread and waiting, Bella looked like an irresistible mix of innocence and sin.

Bella began to feel a bit self-conscious under his gaze given the fact that he was fully clothed, and well, she was not, "Edward," she murmured, "Is something wrong?"

"What?" Her question knocked him out of his lust induced stupor. _Yeah dumb ass, stop staring and touch her! _"No, Baby, you're just unbelievably beautiful, and I'm having trouble figuring out where I want to taste you first." This was absolutely true. Edward pulled off his shirt and grabbed her delicate ankle, kissing it gently. Moving up her legs he kissed and licked and when got far up enough, he reached one hand up to tease her nipple, making her shake and whimper. As he reached the apex of her legs, he spread her open, taking in the sight of her bare pussy while smelling her sweet arousal. He paused, giving her a chance to tell him to stop, but she only whimpered his name, so he continued on.

Bella thought she would die from anticipation by the time he finally licked up her slit and twirled her clit with his tongue. She hardly recognized the sounds coming out of her mouth as he continued his assault on her core. When he pulled back she whimpered until he forcefully drove his tongue deep inside of her, causing her back to arch off the bed in pleasure, "Oh shit Edward!" she screamed as her orgasm shot through her like fire.

Tasting Bella had made him hard as a fucking rock, and he found his hips seeking friction as he rubbed his jean clad dick on the bed. When he felt her walls clamp down on his tongue, Edward lost it completely, his own release finding him. They both stilled after a moment, lying limp on the bed.

"I'll be right back Baby, don't move," Edward told her gently. He went to his bathroom, grabbing a pair of sleep pants along the way. He changed quickly and returned to find a sleepy Bella still naked on his bed, just as he had hoped. After gently cleaning her up a bit he pulled back the covers and slid both of them underneath.

Snuggling up against him, Bella looked up at her gorgeous man, "Thank you, that was wonderful," she smiled, "Can I do something for you?"

He chuckled, a bit embarrassed to have jizzed in his pants like a kid, "Uh, well, that was sort of taken care when you came…let's just say it had quite the affect on me as well." Bella giggled, pushing her head into his chest a bit more. "Stay with me tonight Baby," he whispered, not wanting to let her go. She nodded and he kissed her head, realizing that this bed now felt complete with her in it, and he intended to make sure she returned as often as possible.

**Okay guys, the story has 3000 hits and less than 50 reviews ;( I will always update and finish because I like the story and writing it is really fun….but I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't love to hear what you all are thinking. Thanks! Next chapter will be up early next week. **


	13. Chapter 12

**Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoy this next chapter, I know it's a little weird in some parts, but hang with me, it will make more sense as the story progresses. Also, the pic tease for this week is actually is for chapter 13, which will be out in a few days.**

**Remember this story is rated M.**

Chapter 12

A heavy male arm pressed around Bella's waist snuggling her deeply into the bed. She blushed realizing that Edward's hand was fondling her bare breast, but couldn't stifle her moan as she wiggled against him when he gently squeezed. Wetness began to develop between her legs and she rubbed her thighs together unconsciously seeking friction. _I've become such a whore,_ she started to think facetiously, but was quickly distracted by Edward's husky voice in her ear.

"Mmm, Baby, you're still naked and wiggling your perfect ass against me….My will power is not that strong." His hand snaked down her stomach to her pussy pulling her leg up a bit so he could play with her clit. He groaned as he felt how wet and ready she was and gently readjusted his hand so he could push a finger inside and press her clit with his thumb. With his other hand he continued teasing and pinching her nipple, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. Just when he thought she was getting close to her release, Bella surprised him by pulling away and flipping over, straddling him.

"Wha -?" He started to ask but was cut off by her simultaneously kissing him and grinding her wet pussy onto his erection. He groaned in pleasure, the thin fabric of his now damp sleep pants concealed nothing, and he could feel his cock sliding between her lower lips. When Bella released his mouth she raised up a bit, her breasts directly in his face. She continued to ride him hard as he sucked a rosy nipple into his mouth, moaning loudly at the sensations.

Bella didn't know what possessed her be so bold, but it felt so sublime rubbing her naked body all over this gorgeous man that she couldn't find it within herself to be embarrassed. Pushing down on him hard caused him to thrust uncontrollably, alerting her that he was close. Reaching down between them Bella pinched her clit and came hard, just as Edward yelled her name.

He pulled her down to his chest and after a moment of silence asked, "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that?"

Blushing, she teased, "Hey you started it, nighttime boob groper!"

Edward chuckled, pinching her perfect little ass playfully, "If that's what's going to happen every time I grab your tits you better get ready to be groped – a lot!" They both laughed as Bella rolled off of him. "What are your plans for the day Baby?" he asked, looking at her sweetly.

"I've got a concert tonight, so I should head home in a bit and review a few things. Are you working the night shift?" Bella knew that Edward had started trying to time his night shifts on some of the evenings she had concerts so that they would both be free during the same time frames.

"Yeah, but let's just hang out for awhile, huh?" He felt like a pussy practically begging Bella to stay with him, but he didn't care. It was clear that he was totally and completely wrapped around her little pinky. She nodded, blushing as she stood up to use the restroom, remembering she was totally nude. Edward's eyes roamed her body and he shook his head as she looked around for something to cover up with, "Uh uh Beautiful, I have a new rule that in my house you're to be naked as often as possible. In fact, I might mandate that you leave your clothes by the front door," he said with a wolfish grin.

Bella decided to play along, so she deliberately stretched her arms above her head, giving him an eyeful of everything she had to offer, "Okay," she said with a bored sigh, turning towards the bathroom, "That oughta make for interesting parties."

He growled, throwing a small pillow in her direction and she skirted off to the bathroom, her perky ass bouncing deliciously, "No one gets to see you naked but me!" She laughed and shut the door. _I meant that shit,_ he thought, _No one else gets to see that perfect body!_

The couple spent the rest of the morning playing, laughing and touching sweetly, with Edward insisting on giving her another orgasm, "for the road," as he claimed. After dropping her off and kissing her soundly, he headed for the hospital, already missing the beautiful woman who had totally captured him mind, body and soul.

*H*S*

The night in the ER was crazy as usual, but Edward took a bit of solace in the fact that Emmett and Jasper were on shift with him, and his dad was around as well. It always made work a bit easier when he could joke and chat with his family in between patients. Unfortunately, though, James was also on and Edward decided to avoid him – this was not the time for confrontations after spending such a nice day with Bella. Additionally, at least if James was working, he wasn't pestering Bella at her concert.

At about 11 pm, after a particularly challenging case, Edward realized he'd left his lab coat in the doctor's locker room after his last coffee break. Heading back in towards his area, he looked in his locker, perplexed that it wasn't where he'd left it. "Damn," he muttered under his breath, "Where in the hell did I leave my coat?"

A voice that made him nauseas and pissed at the same time answered him, "It's here baby," the sickeningly sweet voice purred, "I though we could play doctor and catch up."

Slowly turning, Edward clenched his fists and locked his jaw at the sight of Tanya wearing his coat, dangerously high stilettos, and presumably nothing else. "What the fuck do you think you're doing Tanya?" he roared, unable to control his anger at the slut standing before him.

"You never called, so I figured I'd stop by and it could be like old times: I ask for a fuck, and you comply," she moved closer to him, pulling the coat open a bit, confirming his suspicions about her lack of clothing, "You know you want me Edward, you could never say no for very long…"

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, wishing that he would open them and discover that this was a horrible nightmare. "Tanya," he hissed, "I don't want you. I haven't even seen you in ten years! The same message that I gave you then is true now – I am done with you. Now, I'm with Bella, which I know you are aware of - I would never hurt her, especially with a piece of trash such as yourself. Give me my coat and get the hell out before I call security."

Opening the coat, fully revealing herself to Edward, Tanya smiled slyly, tossing the coat to the floor standing with her legs spread, huge fake tits jutting out, she cooed, "I knew you'd tell me to take my clothes off Eddie…."

At that moment, Emmett strolled in and stopped dead in his tracks in shock at the sight before him and the words he'd just heard leave Tanya's mouth. There she stood, fully nude in the middle of the doctor's lounge with one hand on her hip, the other on her pussy, facing Edward who had a look of horror on his face. Coming out of his stupor he yelled, "What the fuck is this?"

"Emmett baby," Tanya purred sickeningly, "You want to join us? Edward and I were about to have some fun. I'm sure I can show you few things…Rose must be quite the little prude in bed. In fact I think Bella and Rose will thank me when I'm done with the two of you. I've always wanted two Cullen men at the same time. Remember when I tried this back in the day Emmett with you and your friends? You didn't give in but they sure did – I've help up pretty good since you last saw me naked, right?" She giggled manically.

Emmett reflexively gagged, turning towards Edward, "What is she doing here? Tell me you knew nothing about this – and for shit's sake Tanya, put some fucking clothes on!"

Edward addressed his brother, "Emmett, I left my coat in here and when I came in she was wearing it. I swear nothing happened; enough of this shit, I'm calling security. They can drag her out of here on her naked ass for all I care." The moment went from unbearable to downright horrific when the doors to the room swung open to reveal Carlisle and James. Both men took in the sight before them with wide eyes, looking back and forth between the three adults. James jumped to action giving Tanya his coat to cover herself and the silence continued awkwardly.

"Someone heard yelling," Carlisle cleared his throat, "So I came to check it out. What's going on?" He addressed his sons sternly.

Emmett answered for them both, "Tanya ambushed Edward in here, Dad. When I came in he was telling her to give him back his coat, and that's it." _I hope Eddie didn't really touch that skank, _he thought,_ I'll have to kill him if he hurt Bella._

"I was just about to call security actually," Edward stated. "I had no idea she was here, I swear."

James snorted, "Sure Edward, Tanya just walked in here and exposed herself to a group of men for kicks. Who are you trying to fool? Everyone knows about the two of you, I'm sure Bella will be interested to hear about this. She deserves to know the kind of scum she's involved with."

"Shut the fuck up James! You know what a whore Tanya is, and you had better stay away from Bella!" Edward lunged, wanting to wipe the cocky grin off his face but Carlisle stepped in his line of fire stopping him, as Tanya slinked off into the corner.

"James," Carlisle firmly stated, taking control of the situation, "Why don't you help get Tanya home. I'm sure Emmett and Edward can handle things with their respective others and it's really none of our business. Boys," he turned to his sons, "Your shifts are hereby over. Go home and we'll talk about this later. There is no place in my ER for this kind of drama and immaturity, no matter whose fault it is." The men wanted to protest, but they knew their father was going to hold the line so they gathered their things and headed out into the night.

Walking to the parking lot Edward finally spoke to his brother, "You know that I really had no idea she was there right? I wouldn't do that to Bella."

Emmett nodded. He really did believe his brother because he knew the man was head over heels in love with Bella; Emmett was also aware of how crazy Tanya Hunter could be. Unfortunately, that was not the first time he'd seen her naked without asking for it! "I know, Edward, but we need to tell Rose and Bella exactly what happened tonight before they hear it from James or Tanya."

They reached their cars, and Edward patted down his pockets for his keys, "Shit," he groaned, "My keys were in the pocket of my coat, and they must've flown out when Tanya threw it. Can you give me a lift and I'll get the security guard to unlock the door to my place?" Emmett agreed and they drove silently through the city. Once Edward was finally inside his apartment he sat down wearily with his head in his hands. _How did such a perfect morning end up as such a cluster fuck of a night?_

He looked at the clock, and it was now well past one am. He decided to call Bella first thing in the morning and take her out to breakfast and explain . That was not a conversation he was looking forward to having. Lying down in his bed his last thought before drifting to sleep was, _Fuck my life._

*H*S*

Bella nervously waited for Edward the next morning. He had called her quite early and asked her to breakfast; telling her that something happened at work that he wanted to discuss. Her curiosity was peaked even further when she got a text from Rose that simply said, **Hear him it out – it wasn't their fault.**

She put the phone in her purse to answer the knock at the door. She opened it to Edward, who though still gorgeous, looked tired and a bit disheveled. Immediately concerned Bella asked, "Honey, is everything okay? What happened?"

Edward sighed, looking at her beautiful face. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly, tucking her head under his chin. "I'll explain at breakfast, but everything's fine. We do need to take your car though so we can swing by the hospital and pick mine up. I had to leave it there last night since I lost my keys somewhere in the doctor's lounge. I didn't have time to get there with the spare this morning…I hope you don't mind…."

Bell shushed his ramble by placing a quick kiss on his lips, "Its fine Edward. Let's go. I want to hear about what's got you so spooked." They walked to her car hand in hand and headed out towards a cute little comfort food café called Home that boasted southern cooking. She thought maybe drowning his sorrows in carbs would help her poor boyfriend feel better. After settling into their booth and placing an order, Bella took Edward's hand in hers. "Okay," she said gently, "Tell me what happened."

With a deep breath Edward launched into the twisted story, explaining everything that happened from the moment he realized his coat was missing to Tanya's proposition to him and Emmett to James' threat to involve Rose and Bella, ending with his ride home and sleepless night worrying about what she would think.

Bella listened with rapt attention, sitting in shock as she heard what Tanya had done. After Edward finished, she blurted, "So she just stood there, totally nude, in front your family and her own cousin? What kind of insane person does that?" She laughed at the image of poor Edward and Emmett dealing with a naked crazy woman in front of their dad. Now Rose's text made perfect sense. Of course it wasn't their fault – Tanya Hunter was apparently psychotic!

Slinking back into his seat Edward stared at his girlfriend with concern as she continued to chuckle. _Is she in shock? Why isn't she screaming and yelling at me?_ "Bella," he asked cautiously, "Why are you laughing? Aren't you mad?"

Bella's laughter subsided and she responded, "Edward, I trust you. I know that your past is less than stellar, but I saw how you looked at Tanya with disgust the last time we saw her. Plus, Rose texted me earlier telling me to hear you out and believe you, which I do. Furthermore, you are a respected physician at that hospital and your dad is chief of staff. Why would you risk your professional reputation - and your father's – by having a threesome with your brother in the doctor's lounge, with a slut that you don't even like? The whole thing is preposterous and just wrong!"

Well, when she explained it that way, it made perfect sense why she'd believe in his innocence. Edward smiled widely, grabbing her hand and kissing her knuckles, "You are too smart for your own good Baby. When you say it like that it does seem pretty ridiculous. I was just so worried that you'd hold my past against me and assume the worst."

Bella sighed, "Edward, you have to understand that I don't know the man that you were in the past – I only know you now. Since I met you you've done nothing but treat me with respect. When our relationship became exclusive you told me about your past right away. Maybe I'm being naïve, but I can't be angry about behavior I've never seen."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Edward smiled at her, "Thank you for giving me another chance….," he trailed off and then continued, "Okay, so since that nonsense is out of the way, let's talk about something else. I happen to know you have a birthday coming up in a few days and I want to take you out somewhere special."

"How did you know about my birthday?" Bella asked. She really didn't celebrate and hadn't told the Cullens about it because she knew they'd go overboard.

"I have my ways Sweetheart. Did you really think I'd let your birthday go by without doing something. If you don't mind, though, rather than a party I thought I'd take you out to a nice dinner and then we could just spend some time together?" Edward got the sense that anything to do with family and holidays, including birthdays, were painful for Bella given that she had been alone for so long. He thought a party might be overwhelming.

"That sounds perfect, thank you." They finished breakfast, making plans for her birthday, which fell on the upcoming Saturday. Bella dropped Edward off at his car before heading to the concert hall for rehearsal. Maybe this birthday wouldn't be so bad after all.

**Thanks for all of the alerts…..but I'd love more reviews….I can't tell if you all like it otherwise **** All thoughts are welcome, good and bad! **


	14. Chapter 13

**Hi Everyone! Thanks so much for the reviews and alerts. The craziness will ramp up from here on out…but the intent is always suspense and insanity, not angst. I don't like really angsty stuff in general, but I do like drama ****I hope you like it too. And I will say, on a side note, that most of the weirder stuff, even the thing that happened with Tanya last chapter, is adapted from things I've heard in my six years as a psychiatrist – I couldn't make some of this stuff up if I tried!**

Chapter 13

The rest of the week was relatively calm for Edward. Though he never did find his keys, he called a locksmith to come that weekend, in the meantime just using a spare set. Since no ID was with the keys, he figured even if someone had found them there would be no way to randomly find his residence. Nonetheless, he warned his doorman of what had happened and to keep watch for strange people. _Or in particular a crazy blond_, he thought to himself warily. He would be more worried about Tanya having stolen the keys, but he did vaguely recall hearing them hit the ground with his coat…and it's not like she had pockets to pick up and hide them in anyway.

Edward was so glad Bella had believed him. Since "the incident," as his family was now calling it, Carlisle had sat down with Emmett and himself to warn that what he had seen that night was not the behavior of a mentally healthy individual. Emmett agreed whole heartedly, having seen Tanya's craziness first hand in their youth. Both men spoke to Bella and Rose, reminding them to keep an eye out. Rose agreed completely, as she had been on the receiving end of Tanya's atrocious behavior before, and knew how bad it could really be. Bella was a bit more difficult to convince, feeling that the blond was just another stupid socialite with too much time on her hands. With pressure from the other three, though, she did agree to start viewing Tanya as a threat.

Saturday rolled around and Edward made his way to Bella's house, deciding to keep the little blue box that held her gift at his place, with a plan to return there after dinner for cake, champagne, and _stuff_, he thought to himself excitedly. As she opened the door he almost lost his breath at the sight of his beautiful girl wrapped in a deep blue skin tight dress made of what looked like little overlapping bands of thick ribbon circling her body. The top dipped down low between her breasts, but the effect was alluring rather than trashy. On her pretty little feet she wore a pair wicked stilettos that he couldn't help but imagine over his shoulders. _Crap, don't get a hard on now! _

"Happy Birthday, Baby," he whispered, pulling her into his arms and kissing her deeply. He intended for the kiss to be passionate, so without hesitation he licked her soft lips begging for entrance, moaning as she complied. Reaching down to cup her ass Edward squeezed gently, running his hands up and down her back, _Shit, this dress is so tight she can't be wearing anything underneath it, _he realized, groaning at the thought of her naked body writhing beneath him.

Bella broke away, needing to breathe and rested her forehead on Edward's, "Happy Birthday indeed," she teased, wiggling a little to feel his erection hard and heavy pressed into her belly. "So, where are you taking me?" She asked pulling back a bit.

"You'll see soon enough Princess," Edward stated firmly, "Grab a coat, it has been raining on and off all day." Bella snatched a pretty beige lightweight overcoat and threw it over her arm with a clutch as they headed out into the night.

*H*S*

Edward pulled up to the valet and rushed around to help Bella out of the car. He found the valet dumbfounded, not sure whether to stare at the Maserati or the woman. Edward gave him a look that said, _Stare at the car asshole, _and grabbed Bella's hand as they walked in the restaurant to get settled. He had chosen a sweet little French restaurant after Bella had mentioned that she loved that particular style of food preparation. From the smile on her face as she perused the menu, he could tell that he had done well.

From the twinkling lights strung around tastefully, to the delicious Bordeaux, the restaurant was perfect and Bella had to admit that for the first time in many years she was actually enjoying her birthday. Squeezing Edward's hand she softly stated, "Thank you, this is perfect. I can't imagine a better way to celebrate turning 23."

The air around them grew thick with sizzling chemistry as Edward pulled her hand to his mouth and placed open mouthed kisses along her knuckles, "I plan to make every birthday that you'll allow me to spend with you as perfect as I can," he said, and really meant it. He had never thought about birthday dinners, flowers and gifts with any other woman he'd spent time with over the years. Spoiling Bella was turning out to be more fun than he had imagined and it was due to, at least in part, the fact that she so clearly appreciated every gesture he made, big or small. Once they had finished their delicious food and the bottle of wine, he turned to her, "Are you ready to go back to my place Baby? I have a few more surprises waiting for you…." He trailed off mysteriously.

Bella blushed at the thought of what those "surprises" might be. "Sure, that sounds perfect." Edward paid the bill and they made their way out to the waiting car. The silence between them as they drove through the night was comfortable and Bella sighed with happiness. She was not used to feeling this content, but loved it nonetheless. Electricity crackled pleasantly around the couple as they headed into the elevator and up to Edward's apartment. Once inside his door, Bella found herself pushed against the wall, his hands aggressively roaming her body to which she responded with wetness dripping from her core, _At least I'm not wearing panties that will get ruined, _Bella thought as Edward's hands slipped inside the low cut V of her dress and teased her nipples.

"Oh Baby," he whispered, "I thought you were naked under these little strips of fabric you're trying to pass off as a dress – am I right?" He asked between frantic kisses.

"I have a feeling you'll find out soon enough," she teased back, kissing him hard, running her tongue along the roof of his mouth making him shudder. They kissed for a minute more before Edward pulled back, causing Bella to look at him expectantly.

"Baby," he stuttered, so turned on he thought he'd explode, "We _are_ going to continue this, but I have a few more things for you first. Why don't you go in my room and make yourself comfortable. I'll be in there in a minute…" he trailed off suggestively.

Bella complied with a wink, dropping her coat on the arm chair in the hallway and making her way towards the bedroom. Once inside she took in the familiar surroundings of Edward's beautiful cherry sleigh bed with dark gold comforter and burnt orange pillows. Atop the bed she spotted a pink flat box that was unwrapped, yet beautiful in its simplicity. Assuming it was for her; Bella approached the gift and slowly lifted the lid to find a manila envelope lying on top of what looked to be a folded lace teddy. Curious, she slowly undid the flap and pulled out a stack of photos with a message attached to the front. It read:

_Hey Honey, I took these from my cell last week during that wonderful marathon we had – thanks again for covering for me at the hospital. I can't believe my cousin saw me naked – Yikes! But, it was worth it when you gave me a set of keys. Thanks for trusting me Baby __. I thought you might like a few copies of the photos for yourself since we look so hot. I also included what I plan on changing into tonight once you're done celebrating Bella's birthday. Have fun and get really worked up for me – you know I'll give you what the little virgin won't…Love, Tanya._

Nauseated to her core, Bella gingerly flipped to the first photo, which revealed a totally nude Tanya rolling around on Edward's bed, with a mop of hair between her thighs, and a hand on her breast. The pictures were in black and white, so Bella couldn't make out the hair color, but the length and style certainly reminded her of Edward. Fighting down the bile rising in her throat, Bella looked at the next few pictures: Each one was of Tanya naked on some surface of Edward's apartment, writhing, _cumming,_ and panting with a male's hands on her, touching her, teasing her, loving her into oblivion.

Edward entered the room with two champagne flutes and a smile on his face that dropped quickly when he saw Bella sitting on his bed in tears with a long flat box in her hands. "Baby," he cried, putting down the glasses, "What's wrong?"

"Can you explain this?" Bella asked, holding up a damning picture of nude Tanya spread open on the dining room table with a mop of hair between her legs.

"What the fuck?" Edward roared, totally disgusted. "I swear, Bella, I have never seen these before," he frantically yelled, flipping through the pictures, "She has never been here as far as I know – I didn't even think she knew where I lived." Bella said nothing and shoved the letter in his face. He read it through, and wanted to vomit.

Bella looked at him and said softly through her tears, "I know that your face is not in those pictures, but the hair certainly looks like you…and how would she know that it's my birthday? I didn't tell anyone but you and your family. And," Bella continued feeling totally humiliated, "My virginity? Who told her about that? Please, Edward, explain this to me…." Tears took over again as Bella stared at her hands, playing absently with her fingers in her lap.

"Baby," Edward began, kneeling down to take her hands in his, "You can't really believe that this is me. I would never ever lie to or cheat on you. She must have taken my keys that day at the hospital and let herself in here. I am as disgusted by this as you are and kicking myself for not scheduling the locksmith sooner. These pictures must be from earlier in the week because I have new locks now, I swear. As for the details about you, I have no idea how she knows those things, but I didn't tell her. I wouldn't betray you in any way….," his eyes filled with tears, "You have to believe me," he pleaded, "I can't lose you because of this bitch's crazy schemes."

Sitting quietly, she contemplated everything he said. Warring within her was the desire to believe him and the need to protect herself. After a moment Bella pulled her hands away and got up. "I need to go home," she stated firmly, "I want time to process all of this."

"Bella," Edward followed her out to the living room, "Please, don't go! I will get to the bottom of this, I swear – you do believe me, right?" The thought of her leaving and not returning was too much to bear. After waiting so long for this woman, he couldn't imagine going back to a lonely existence. He had planned on telling Bella that he was in love with her later that night, and now she may no longer be his. _This can't be happening!_ He thought almost in a state of shock.

Grabbing her purse and coat Bella headed towards the door quickly before she could change her mind, "I don't know what to believe Edward. My heart tells me that maybe this is a set up; we expected Tanya to do something after all. But, I have to be smart about this, please understand."

Edward nodded and reluctantly picked up his keys to drive her home, but she stopped him, claiming she wanted to take a cab.

"Baby, you can't be serious – it's late, let me drive you," he practically begged, not willing to let her go, especially out into the dark Chicago streets alone.

"No, Edward, you need to deal with Tanya – call the police, file a restraining order – do what you need to do to make this go away. Also, if I were you, I'd take a close look at those pictures and see which pieces of furniture need replacing. Good night." She shut the door and walked down the hall, not once looking back.

*H*S*

Bella successfully held the tears at bay until she reached her apartment. Once inside, she went straight to her room, stripped off her dress and let them freely flow. Wrapped in her favorite beige silk robe, she curled up on her bed and cried, thought about what to do, and cried some more. After what seemed like an immeasurable amount of time, there was a knock on her front door. _It's almost midnight, _she thought, _Who the hell could that be?_ She didn't really think Edward would try to contact her so soon, so she warily made her way to the door, hoping he hadn't called Alice or Rose to come and comfort her.

Looking through the peephole she was shocked to she James Hunter standing there, since she didn't remember telling him where she lived. Opening the door, but leaving the chain in place, she peered through the gap, "James, what are you doing here?" she asked more sharply than she had intended.

"Bella, please let me in. I just got through dealing with a hysterical Tanya after she went to Edward's for a date she thought they had and he threw her out on her barely clothed ass, telling her to get ready to be arrested for trespassing. She told me that you found the pictures…I'm so sorry those two dimwits ruined your birthday," he explained frantically.

"Tanya was at his house, tonight?" Bella asked, confused as she shut the door to release the chain before letting him in, "What did she say happened exactly?" Though she was thoroughly freaked out by the man, she wanted answers about this supposed date, no matter what risk he posed.

James entered Bella's living room, noticing that she was wearing only a short almost sheer robe that didn't really hide the fact she likely had nothing on underneath. Clearing his throat and diverting his eyes away from her perfect little nipples poking through the thin fabric, James looked around the apartment, knowing that doing anything sexual in this moment would completely ruin his chance with Bella. "This is a beautiful home, Bella."

"Thank you, James, how did you know my address anyway? Or that it was my birthday?" Bella asked suspiciously.

"You told me where you lived when you asked for directions to my parent's house, remember? And, I didn't know it was your birthday until Tanya just told me…had I known I would've sent you something," he added at the end with a smile.

Bella hadn't really remembered that, but wanted to know more about what happened between Edward and Tanya so she put those details aside for a moment, "Fine, tell me the deal with Tanya." James explained how he had received a call from Tanya asking him to come pick her up from outside of Edward's building and that she wasn't really "decent" as she had put it. Apparently a friend had dropped her off and she thought it would be cute to wear something inappropriate for public eyes; basically she had on a piece of white lace and a g-string. She evidently changed once she got in the building. However, when she arrived at Edward's he roared in her face and threw her out, not even giving her a chance to pick up her things before practically dragging through the lobby and out the front door, telling the doorman to call the cops. Tanya ran to a side street and called James, claiming she didn't know why Edward was so mad when he was the one who suggested that they meet up that night in the first place.

Listening quietly, Bella had to admit she was shocked that Edward would be so cruel as to humiliate Tanya publicly like that, but she couldn't really bring herself to care. Judging by the plans that Edward set up for her birthday, she was certain he had intended for her to stay the night – even if he was cheating with Tanya there was no way he'd made plans with her for that evening. She tensed a bit when James settled on the couch next to her and placed his hand her knee, which she suddenly realized was bare due to her short robe. Abruptly feeling very exposed in her lack of clothing, Bella scooted away a bit, "Thank you for telling me James," she turned to face him, "I'm just not sure what to believe anymore."

James sighed, knowing he had to play this just right. Truthfully, he didn't think that Edward was cheating on Bella. Even though he'd agreed to work with his cousin to break the couple up, she hadn't let him in on the picture scam, and he certainly wouldn't have allowed all of this to go down on Bella's birthday. He loved Bella and wanted her to be happy. _It should be me, not Edward, who got to spoil her rotten today, _he thought glumly. "Look Bella," he said, "My cousin has her crazy moments. You should just talk with Edward. When we were kids he and Tanya fooled around a lot. I don't really know what exactly happened between them, but I do know that they weren't always appropriate or discreet, so the picture thing is not out of the realm of possibility. But, if you really have feelings for Edward, then you have to talk to him. Only you can decide who you're going to trust in this life."

Bella stood up, ushering towards the door, "I think you should leave James, but thanks for letting me know that happened and checking on me."

He nodded and silently left, hoping that he had created enough space for himself to be further involved in the beautiful woman's life.

Bella shut the door behind him, confusion and pain swimming in her head. She lay down on the couch, and slowly drifted to sleep, hoping the morning would bring a clearer head.

*H*S*

Edward left the police station early the next day, restraining order in hand and breaking-and-entering report filed. He sighed, heading back to his apartment to meet Emmett and explain why he needed help removing quite a bit of furniture from his apartment. Though he his heart was breaking for what Bella must be feeling, he knew that brooding at home waiting for her to call was not the answer – action was required to make Bella understand that this thing with Tanya was nothing but total bullshit.

"Yo, bro!" Emmett greeted him in the foyer of the apartment building, "You'd better have good reason that you needed to borrow my muscle and truck this early on a Sunday morning!" As the men headed upstairs, Edward began the twisted tale of the utter fuckery that Bella's birthday had become thanks to Tanya. After he finished his story and pointed out all the furniture that needed to be replaced, Emmett clapped him _hard _on the back.

"Edward," he sighed, "You are a total fucking idiot. After what she pulled with us at work, the second you lost your keys you should've had a locksmith here pronto! What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking," Edward ran his hands through his hair, "Bella was my sole focus and I just scheduled someone to come over in a few days, not really thinking Tanya would go that far. What am I going to do if Bella doesn't believe me?"

Emmett cleared his throat, looking over Edward's shoulder to the small brunette standing in the open doorway, "I think I'm gonna go….There's someone here you need to talk with." He touched Bella's shoulder gently on his way out.

Bella looked around Edward's apartment, noticing that the table, arm chair, and barstools were missing. "What happened in here?"

Hardly believing his eyes that she had returned so soon, Edward rushed over to Bella and took her small hands in his, "Baby! I'm so glad you're here – I was going to come over to your place later today. I wanted to give you space and I had a few things that I needed to do to show you…to make you believe. I went to the police, filed charges, got a restraining order…the furniture she and whatever douche bag had sex with touched is gone and I…."

Bella cut off his rant with a hand over his mouth. "James came over to my place last night," noticing his eyes narrowing she continued, "Let me tell you what happened, Edward. He came over because he had picked up Tanya after you threw her out. I can't believe you did that, but I understand why." She sighed, "At first I didn't know what to believe, Edward, I just don't want to be made a fool of, but I also can't deny what I feel for you. So, when I thought about it, I do truly feel James and Tanya are up to something. He claims I gave him my address when I went to his parent's house for dinner, but I know that I didn't – I asked for directions from the concert hall, I'm sure of it. Anyone snooping around enough could figure out my birthday…as for my virginity; that maybe was a guess on her part. I don't know. But, what I do know is that I choose to believe you."

The room remained quiet for a long moment as Edward digested everything she had just said. "Baby," he cooed, pulling her over to the couch and setting her in his lap, "Thank you so much. I promise you I was set up. We will get to the bottom of all this, I swear. I need to hear more about the James thing, though, I have a feeling you've left out a bit about how much he's pursued you. For now, however, please let me give you your gift. I had a plan, something I want to tell you. It was supposed to be romantic and perfect...but please accept it now?"

Bella nodded, and scooted off to the side of the couch while he left the room for a moment. The famous blue shaded box landed on her lap as Edward sat next to her. She opened it to reveal the most beautiful diamond encrusted heart pendant with a little platinum key attached at the top. It was gorgeous! She turned to him, "Thank you, Edward. I love it. Put it on please?"

Lifting her hair he clasped the delicate necklace around her neck, placing a kiss there before dropping her hair back down to cover it. "I'm glad you love it," he took a deep breath, "Because I love you."

Her breath hitched and she felt a deep contentment in her heart. Flipping around she kissed him deeply, moaning as she forcefully pushed her tongue between his lips. He responded in kind and she was quickly on her back with Edward's delicious weight pinning her down. After a moment she pulled away, panting, "I love you too, so much."

Eyes shining with relief, he kissed her again soundly and said, "Thank you Beautiful, for loving me and believing me." He pulled her to a standing position, "Come on, we're going out."

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Well, I've got a shit ton of new furniture to buy and you're going to help," he replied with a wink. She smiled back, feeling wonderful despite the mess they both knew had to be dealt with.

"Okay, Baby, let's go." They walked hand in hand out the door, deciding to ignore, for

just a bit, the drama brewing all around them.

**Reviews are better than a non-emo boyfriend who actually gets stuff done instead of wasting time brooding ;)**


	15. Chapter 14

**Thank you all so much for the favorites and alerts. I would love a few more reviews, but I will continue to write no matter what – I'm actually having a great time doing this! This chapter meets the M rating, so adults only please!**

Chapter 14

Rose and Alice stared open mouthed at Bella as she completed the whole story of Tanya's behavior and Edward's subsequent declarations of love. It was a few days after the birthday disaster, and the girls were grabbing a drink at a bar near the hospital with plans to meet the guys for dinner after their shift ended.

Finishing off her glass of champagne and motioning to the waiter for another, Rose turned to Bella, "Sweetie, as glad as I am that Edward finally admitted his love for you, I am so sorry that Tanya ruined your birthday! She always has been a crazy bitch. I thought she may have matured over the years, but when Emmett told me what she pulled at the hospital I figured nothing much had changed."

"Rose," Bella asked softly, "What is the history with you and Tanya anyway? Both you and Emmett have mentioned a few times that she was cruel when you were kids. If you don't mind my asking, what happened?"

Rose sighed, "Growing up for me in this town was really hard. My mother is gorgeous, my father is handsome, and it's as though their features combined in the only way that was less than perfect and then were passed down to me. I mean, I have always just been okay looking, and now I'm fine with it, but the girls I went to high school with were so flawless – like Tanya. She teased me mercilessly: Think of the mean high school girl cliché and she embodied it. Name calling, throwing out my clothes during gym so I'd be stuck all day, purposely leaving me out of parties; she was queen of all that juvenile crap. However, things got really bad when I turned 17 and Emmett and I got together. You have to understand Bella, that I loved him for so long and I was so sure he would never love me back – I mean look at him and then look at me! Do you remember Alice how I mooned over him?"

Scoffing, Alice replied, "What I remember was that you were a total sweetheart and everyone loved you, while thinking Tanya and her crew were the ultimate bitch squad. I also recall that my brother wouldn't touch Tanya with a ten foot pole! Emmett has adored you most of his life, Rose – that's the truth. You two took awhile to get together because you had to move past your insecurities and he had to believe that you would take him seriously and not view him as the class clown." Bella nodded, seeing how that confusion could easily happen to a young couple.

Rose continued, "As I was saying, Tanya was obsessed with becoming a Cullen. Even though she was already fucking Edward by that point – sorry Bella – the champagne is making me lose my filter!" she exclaimed abashedly. Bella waved to her to continue, "Anyway, the bitch still wanted Emmett and was determined to break us up. She pulled all sorts of crap. For example, and trust me when I say this is just one of her shenanigans – our senior year she found out Emmett and his friends hired a belly dancer for a birthday party and she showed up instead, dressed as a topless dancer! Then, she tried to ruin our prom by arriving at Emmett's place all ready to go while we were taking pictures claiming he had asked her instead of me. Her aunt and uncle made a huge fit; Tanya tried to slap me and called me a 'man-stealing whore' in front of my whole family. Good times…." she trailed off.

"Uh, wow," Bella said, "She really is as bad as you all warned me. I feel stupid for not taking this whole Hunter thing more seriously."

"What 'Hunter' thing?" Alice asked suspiciously, "Is there more than one Hunter bugging you? You made it seem like James backed off after he figured out you and Edward are together."

Swirling the last of her champagne around the bottom of the flute, Bella told the two women how she had in fact downplayed James' attention and that she noticed him lurking around her concerts at least once a week, though he only made his appearance known if it was a new set. Flowers were also delivered to her dressing room quite often, sometimes anonymously and sometimes signed. Finally, she described how he'd stopped by her place on Saturday night after picking up Tanya, "I know I didn't give him my address, that's the thing," she muttered, really getting upset now that she was saying all of these things out loud, "And when he came in I realized too late that I only had on this short thin little robe…he looked at me like I was dessert or something. And…" Bella trailed off, starting to feel paranoid.

"What?" Rose practically shouted, causing a few people to turn their heads towards the group.

"Sometimes I swear I'm being watched. There's no proof or anything," Bella hurried on, "It's just a feeling," she finished looking patiently at her friends.

Alice finally spoke up after a moment of silence, "I don't have a good feeling about this Bella. Did you tell Edward?" She asked, knowing that if Bella had told her twin there's no way the small brunette would be out, even for this small window of time, with them right now – Edward had an overprotective side that reared its head when it came to that which he loved.

"No," she softly replied, "I haven't told anyone until now. I guess I was hoping it was just a fluke. I figured he'd move past it once I didn't return any affection…Naively I kind of thought James would be my friend and that's it. But lately I can't stand to be in same room with him, much less act friendly."

"Shit," Rose murmured looking wide eyed over Bella's shoulder, "Speak of the devil and he shall appear."

Warm alcohol-laced breath and a large male body pressed too closely to Bella's back as she instinctively leaned forward and away from any intimate male contact other than Edward's. She shivered uncomfortably as a smooth voice floated over the table.

"Well hello ladies," James said, his tipsy state quite clear in his flimsy articulation, "What are the three of you doing out? I'm surprised those men of yours let you out of their sight - they seem quite protective. Especially you Bella, Edward appears to be afraid that if he gives you a moment to yourself to think you'll finally figure out his bullshit."

Alice piped up first, "We're meeting them for dinner James, not that it's any of your business. And frankly, they wouldn't have anything to worry about if your bat shit crazy cousin would leave as all alone," she stated icily.

James chuckled darkly, lightly resting his hand on Rose's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, "Poor Rose and Bella! Do you really believe that your boys were innocent in that incident last week at the hospital? I was there and saw it with my own two eyes. Trust me, those two made no move to cover Tanya up; I think they were just about ready to get started with something nasty when Carlisle and I walked in." He laughed again, "Don't be so gullible ladies! Especially when there are plenty of men who would gladly be truly faithful to either one of you."

Though he meant it as a compliment, James' smarmy tone made his last statement more suggestive than comforting, causing all three women to shudder in disgust. Just as Rose was about to set him straight a loud voice broke through.

"Hunter! I know I don't see your hand on my wife!" Emmett's voice echoed across the bar as the boys approached the table.

Edward's eyes narrowed at the scene before him: James was sandwiched between Rose and Bella, standing way too closely to them both, one hand on Rose's shoulder and the other arm hovering across the back of Bella's stool. It made his blood boil, and as his possessiveness was matched only by Emmett's protectiveness of Rose, this was about to get ugly.

"James," Emmett menacingly repeated as the man refused to release Rose, "I said that I know I don't see you touching my wife, what the fuck?" James finally stepped back a bit from the table, swaying slightly in his inebriation, but still holding on to the blond.

"I was just keeping these beautiful women company. It also may have come up that last week you and your brother there," he nodded towards Edward, "Were about to have a threesome with my cousin. I thought I'd give your little beauties here a chance to even up the score, if you know that I mean," James cheesed it up a smidgen just to piss the Cullen men off. He knew he was a bit drunk, but things had backfired so badly in his agreement with Tanya he figured at this point there wasn't much to lose.

"Just the shut the fuck up and leave, now" Edward said coldly, inserting himself between James and Bella, in the process forcing the man to loosen his grip on Rose.

James nodded and turned to leave adding, "Bella, baby, I'll see you again soon, don't worry. Alice, Rose, I've enjoyed getting to know you both a bit better tonight - you can join in on me and Beauty's," he leered sickeningly at Bella," fun anytime. I don't discriminate…." Noticing Jasper's growl, he hurried into the throng of bodies offering protection from the irate men. _Hmm, didn't think that pussy Whitlock had it in him to care that much about his bitch. This could get interesting…_he thought as he weaved through the crowd away from the three guys he had intentionally pissed off.

Each of the men went to their partners, offering comfort and assurance with arms encircling and whispers calming. After a moment of silence, Edward looked at the group of women, and said, "Someone had better tell me what is going on – Now!"

*H*S*

The short walk to the restaurant was quiet as the men, especially Edward, fumed. After settling into a round booth and placing their orders, Edward broke the silence, "So, it seems as though Hunter hasn't been as resigned to the fact that Bella rejected him as we thought. Bella, can you tell me what's going on?"

Bella cleared her throat guiltily, "Well, he has been paying a bit more attention to me than I let on." She explained James' action, including the eerie feeling of being watched, adding the chuckle she swore she heard weeks ago in the garage. When she finished, the men sat there for a moment, saying nothing.

Jasper finally spoke, directing his question to Alice. "Did you know about this?" he asked his wife.

"No," she shook her head vehemently, "Bella just told Rose and me tonight. I swear had I known that he's practically stalking her I would've told Edward."

Bella interjected, "Alice, stalking is a strong word -" She was cut off by a harsh tone that she'd never heard from Edward before, well directed to her at least.

"Bella! Be serious, please. What you just described is practically the definition of stalking. How could you have kept this from me? I mean I knew that asshole was chasing you, but I didn't think he was so obsessed," Edward felt truly nauseated by what he'd just heard, and frankly a bit hurt that Bella didn't confide in him.

"Hey man, we warned you last week that his behavior was creepy and you said you were looking into it. What happened?" Emmett asked, not caring that he was breaking his word to Edward not to say anything; James and Tanya's actions had now impacted Rose, and her safety and happiness were his highest priority.

With a raised eyebrow Bella looked at Edward for an explanation. "Well," he began, "I did have someone follow James for a few days, just to make sure _he_ wasn't following you. The guy saw no weird behavior, so I let it go – I didn't know all of this shit was going on," he hastily explained.

The waitress arrived at that moment with the food, so the group paused to dig in, the meal passing in relative silence. Finally, when the plates were cleared, Bella said softly, "I'm sorry to you all. I feel like my presence has instigated all of this, and now Rose and Alice have to deal with this creep and old hurt feelings. Maybe I should just stay away from you guys for awhile until this blows over."

The siblings spoke at once, with exclamations that Bella was now part of their family and under no circumstances was she to even consider creating space. Edward felt panic rise in his chest at the thought of losing his first and only love, "Bella baby," he pleaded, "This is not about us being upset with you! The only people at fault are James and Tanya. You just have to keep us informed so we can keep you safe – I don't want to hear you mention leaving again!"

Leaning forward to give him a soft kiss, Bella nodded, "I swear, I won't. Can we go, please?" Jasper paid the bill and the group left, with hugs and promises to talk more about all of this soon.

Once settled in his car, Edward lifted Bella's hand to his mouth, placing kisses along her delicate knuckles. "Baby," he asked softly, "Why didn't you tell me that James was bothering you?"

She sighed, "I don't know. Part of me wanted to believe that I was just paranoid and that none of this was real. I'm sorry," her voice quivered as tears filled her eyes.

"Beautiful, don't cry. I'm just worried about you. We will get to the bottom of this, okay?" he looked over to her, so beautiful in the moonlight streaming through the car window. "For now though," he continued, "I want to take you away for a few days, just us. Can you take the Saturday concert off? I was hoping we could spend the weekend together…"

Bella nodded, thinking it wouldn't be a problem since she hadn't exercised her "off option" since starting. "It will be fine Edward. The second chair has been itching to be in charge for a week actually," she giggled, the mood in the car lightening immediately. She squeezed his hand, smiling inwardly when he responded in kind. This weekend was going to be perfect.

*H*S*

Edward thought that teasing his beautiful girl slowly all night would be the best way to get her the perfect mixture of worked up and feeling loved, so he put his plan into motion the moment she stepped out of the bathroom of the suite ready to go. Walking up to her slowly, he perused her body carefully, admiring the skirt and halter top combination, but also looking for easy points where he could access her skin. "You are gorgeous," he murmured, pulling her close and kissing down her neck to her collarbone, "And you taste so sweet," he accentuated the word by sticking the tip of his tongue in the space between her breasts, smiling at the responsive shudder she emitted.

Swallowing hard, she pushed him back gently, "Edward, don't we have reservations?" She stammered, wanting nothing more than to forget about dinner and stay here with him. The little bed and breakfast a few hours outside of the city was perfect. The room boasted a gorgeous four poster bed and beautiful French country accents. Edward had planned the weekend perfectly, and it was just the getaway they needed. Bella felt ready to give her virginity to Edward. He loved her, she loved him and their relationship had only strengthened with their decision to trust one another explicitly in the midst of recent drama. She wanted him, and he made it clear with his every action and word that he wanted her in return.

"Yeah, baby, we do," he replied with a smirk at her adorably distracted state, "The place is just down the street so I thought we'd walk." They strolled easily through the warm night and settled into their rounded booth. Edward snuggled right up to his girl's side. The restaurant he had chosen was dimly lit in a romantic fashion with soft leather touches scattered around and a menu that was simple but delicious; _the perfect place to tease this little beauty into oblivion_, he thought wickedly. After pouring them each a glass of wine, he let his hand settle on her inner thigh, slowly moving his fingers up her leg.

Bella's breath hitched as the gorgeous man next to her trailed his hand towards her already damp panites causing her to resist the urge seek friction between her legs. "Umm," she stammered, trying to ignore him, "Should we order?"

"I know what I want to eat," he teased with a wolfish grin against her neck. At that moment the waiter interrupted asking for their choices. Edward ordered a small variety of treats for them to share and turned back to his girlfriend, "Are you okay Baby? You look a little flushed." Bella nodded taking a large gulp of wine. The meal continued the same way. Edward touched, fondled and teased her relentlessly, working her into a near frenzy. By the time the meal was over all she could think about were his hands, his lips, and skin all over hers. She needed him, now.

"Take me back to the room, Edward," she whispered in his ear, licking the shell of his lobe for good measure.

"Let's go," he virtually gasped, so hard he thought he'd explode on the spot. After hastily throwing down some cash, enough to cover the meal plus a generous tip, he practically dragged Bella back to their room. Once inside he slammed her up against the door, attacking her neck his hands immediately cupping her breasts. After a moment of frantic kissing, he forced himself to slow. _This is her first time, asshole, make it special_, he thought.

"Baby," he pushed away gently, "Let's go to the bed." He led her to large bed, untying her halter top along the way. He stopped long enough to lift the shirt over her head, revealing her bare tits. Groaning, Edward leaned down to take rosy peak in his mouth while simultaneously unzipping her skirt, pulling it and her tiny panties down at the same time. Once she was naked, he sat her ass on the bed kneeling so that his face was in her sweet pussy.

As he took a long lick up her slit Bella moaned appreciatively, "Oh baby, that feels perfect, don't stop." She felt perfect; his lips, mouth, and tongue, bringing her to orgasm. She screamed his naming, cumming quickly, falling back limp onto to the bed. After a moment, she gazed up at his smug face, "How does it always happen that I'm naked when you're still dressed?" she asked cheekily.

Edward smiled, pulling his shirt over his head and undoing his pants, "Because," he answered, "I always want you naked, and when we're alone it is one of my sole missions." He finished undressing and motioned for her to scoot back on the bed. "Baby," he continued settling between her thighs, "Tell me if you want me to stop, because I am reaching the point of no return."

"Please, Edward, make love to me," Bella panted. After their first intimate encounter, he had assured her that he was clean, and had always taken birth control, so skin to skin was awaiting the couple, and Edward couldn't be happier. Slowly, he spread her legs and Bella waited for the welcome invasion of his hard cock. Inch by inch he pushed in feeling as she tensed only when he reached her barrier.

"Baby, relax," he sighed in her ear, kissing down her neck, fondling her tits with his hand. Once Edward felt her muscles letting him in he swiftly thrust, breaking through her virginity. _Holy fuck, this is heaven, _he thought, moving slowly within her. She relaxed after a moment, arching her back, breasts pressing deliciously into his chest as he continued to thrust in and out as rhythmically. He knew he couldn't last, "Sweetheart, I'm going to cum. Can you make it with me?"

After the initial shock of pain, Bella had to admit that it started to feel good, but she was no where near reaching orgasm. However, she knew intellectually that it would be rare on her first time, so she urged him on, "Let go Baby, I feel perfect," she whispered, sucking his earlobe in her mouth.

Edward came with a roar, emptying into her, clutching her to him. After he rolled off of her, he pulled Bella to his side, feeling a sense of shame creeping into his psyche. It was unacceptable to leave a woman unsatisfied in his bed, especially the only one he'd ever loved. "I'm so sorry Beautiful," he murmured into her hair, "I wanted your first time to be perfect."

She turned, grabbing his face between her small hands, "It was perfect Edward. In fact, couldn't have imagined a more perfect experience. It was with a man that I love, in a romantic setting, following the best organism of my life. Please, don't spoil this by feeling anything but wonderful."

He held her close, reaching to the bedside table to grab the towel he'd thought to leave there earlier. Reaching down between her thighs, he wiped her clean gently, placing kisses along her sleepy face. "I promise that my goal will be to make you reach orgasm during sex Baby," he whispered in her ear.

"I look forward to many, many attempts," she answered back with a sleepy grin. The couple snuggled deep into the comfortable bed, falling asleep wrapped around one another in blissful contentment.

**Reviews make me happy! Actually, I am doc and technical writer by profession; this is my first attempt EVER at fiction. If you all tell me what you like and don't like, it will make the story better…..Thanks, and the next chapter will be out by Saturday. **


	16. Chapter 15

**Rated M….And there's a total blatant use of a movie quote in here, which the screenwriter, Melissa Rosenberg owns, not me! Thanks to all the readers and reviewers. I don't have a beta, so all the small grammar mistakes are mine - sorry!**

Chapter 15

Morning light sifted softly through the window, casting a glow across the gorgeous brown hair splayed out around his beautiful girl. Edward sighed looking at her, running his fingers lightly across her exposed breasts, gently circling her pretty pink nipple. Her breathing hitched slightly as the little peak puckered at his attention. Mischievously, Edward leaned down and gave it a tiny kiss, causing Bella to moan and stir. Letting her sleep after what she had given him last night may have been the responsible option, but Edward was too elated to be responsible. Besides, he felt he owed her an orgasm this morning- _And she was going to get one_, he thought, _no matter by what means I have to deliver it! _

She moaned loudly when he took her breast in his mouth and sucked gently. Fluttering brown eyes gazed down on his unruly bronze hair, and she ran her fingers through the mop, instinctively arching her back, "Oh, Edward," she groaned as his hand traveled down her outer thigh, "That feels perfect."

He growled against her soft skin, pulling her legs slightly open to reveal her wet hot core to his touch. Knowing she would be a bit sore from the night before, he decided to go easier on her this morning, also wanting to show her that lovemaking could be playful as well as romantic. Turning in a swift movement that left her straddling his chest, her damp pussy against his sternum, Edward guided her hips up and scooted back down the bed, balancing her on her knees above him.

Shocked from the delightful wake up, and kind of confused, actually, Bella looked down at him, "What are you doing?" Her answer came in the form of her ass being pushed up a little so that her pussy was positioned directly over Edward's face.

"Reach up and grab the headboard, Baby," he panted, about to cum from the sight of her bare and glistening above him. Once he saw that she had followed directions, he wrapped his large hands around her hips and pulled her down onto his waiting tongue, groaning at the feel of her walls surrounding him. Licking, thrusting, and teasing caused the beautiful girl to wiggle above him. Opening his eyes revealed a perfect view of the underside of her bouncing tits, making him hard as steel.

On some level Bella knew she should feel embarrassed basically riding Edward's face like this, but it felt so good she couldn't find it within herself to stop. After positioning herself in such a way that his nose brushed against her clit with each thrust, the orgasm built in her belly and ripped through her like wildfire as she screamed his name. Once he had gently licked her clean, Edward pulled her down onto his chest, his very obvious erection hitting the back of her ass. Giggling, she gave an experimental wiggle, to which he responded with a groan.

"Baby, you had better stop that. Good morning by the way," he panted running his hands up and down her back.

"Good morning to you too; and what if I don't want to stop?" She raised an eyebrow at him, slowly trailing kisses down his body, scooting off to the side to give her better access to his cock. Leaning down Bella licked the slit, enjoying the saltiness she found there, knowing it was his natural reaction to her. Sucking him entirely into her mouth, she fully enjoyed the sounds he made, running one hand over her hair. Using her tongue, suction and hand where her mouth didn't cover, Bella brought him orgasm, ignoring his warning to move when he came.

Settling his breathing back to normal, Edward gathered his girl in his arms, "You didn't have to do that baby," he whispered in her hair, "I owed you one from last night."

Bella frowned, "Sex isn't quid pro quo Edward – I loved last night. Please, don't do something to me because you think you owe me. Touch me because you want to."

"Sweetheart," he looked down directly into her gorgeous eyes, "I _always_ want to touch you, especially when you're naked. I love you and just want to you feel good. You gave me something so precious last night; I wanted to make sure you enjoyed yourself."

She hugged her sweet man close to her chest, "I did feel good. Waiting for you to make love was the best decision I've made in a long time. I love you, Edward, so much." He leaned down and kissed her softly in response. The couple lay in bed a bit longer, before Bella headed off to the bathroom. After a moment, she poked her head out of the door, "Are you joining me for a shower or what?"

Edward jumped up and rushed in, wanting nothing more than to feel his beautiful girlfriend naked and wet against him. Of course, showering led to more touching, and this led to round two of lovemaking. Though it was wonderful and he made sure Bella was taken care of, she still didn't come during the actual act. However, he refused to dwell on it, knowing that it would happen eventually. After cleaning up again, separately to avoid temptation, the couple headed out for brunch.

The little town of Galena was quaint and charming, the ambience fitting in perfectly with the couple's happy mood. After a short stroll, Bella settled in at a cute bookstore while Edward went to add them to the list of people waiting for tables at a nearby café. She startled hearing a deep voice pipe up suddenly next to her, "Excuse me, miss, have you read this?" The man picked up a random book and pushed it in her face.

"Uh, no," she quickly turned and tried to ignore the feel of his gaze on her.

"You should give it a shot," he walked around to face her from the opposite angle, clearly not taking the hint, "It's really good." When there was no response he continued, "I could buy us a cup of coffee and we could start reading it if you want?" He asked hopefully.

"No, I don't think so," Bella said, shuffling sideways to move past him in the aisle. Reluctant to let her pass, the man stretched out, touching the opposite side of the shelf, effectively holding her in place.

"Come on," he insisted, "A pretty girl like you shouldn't be hanging out all alone on a Sunday morning."

"She's not alone," Edward's voice broke through the hushed atmosphere of the store, "Why don't you move the fuck along." Upon entering the shop his eyes had scanned the small area looking for his girl. His eyes narrowed when he spotted her over the shoulder of some douche bag blocking her in an aisle. Marching over, he wanted to rip the guy's head off when he saw a hint of fear in Bella's eyes. He knew the thing with James had freaked her out more than she let on, and this man was likely stirring up those feelings within her.

Said douche bag turned sharply to face Edward, "What's it to you asshole?"

"She's my girlfriend, so back the fuck off before this gets embarrassing for you." He accentuated the end of his statement with a finger in the man's chest. Watching as he brushed by and stalked off, Edward rushed to Bella putting an arm around her. "Are you okay baby?"

"Yeah," she turned up to place a soft kiss on his lips, "He was just weird."

In an attempt to lighten the moment, Edward put his arm around her shoulders, steering her towards the café, "I should know by now that if I leave you alone for two minutes, the wolves descend." She giggled into his side, and they continued their day without incident, enjoying the beautiful town and satisfying company.

Pulling up to the curb of Bella's apartment, Edward gathered the bags from the back seat and walked his girl into the foyer of her building. As they passed, the doorman stopped them, "Ms. Swan," he called, "You had a delivery yesterday. Since no one was home the guy asked if he could leave it down here, hold on just a moment please while I go get it."

Bella looked at Edward quizzically, knowing she hadn't ordered anything recently. She gasped sharply and Edward tensed when the doorman reappeared with a huge bouquet of roses so red that they appeared almost black. With a shaking hand she pulled out the card, and read it out loud to Edward, "_Dear Bella,"_ she began, "_Please accept my apologies for my atrocious behavior the other night. I never meant to disrespect you or your friends in any way. I hope you enjoyed your time away this weekend – Galena is lovely this time of year. I will say though that I missed seeing you play on Saturday, it has become one of the highlights of my week. I'll see you soon, you can count on it. Love, James."_

Unable to control himself, Edward yelled a loud, "Fuck!" and pounded his fist on the counter, causing the vase to shake. Turning to Bella, he calmed down when he saw her terrified eyes, "Baby," he stated forcing a composed tone, not wanting to scare her further, "I didn't tell anybody that I was taking you to Galena – not a soul."

*H*S*

The music ended and Bella took her customary bow before moving off stage with her fellow musicians. Seeing Rose and Carlisle in the Cullen box made her feel more at ease. However, the nerves that taken over since the virtual proof that James was following her took hold whenever she was alone, or exposed in public at a concert. Thus far, it had not impacted her work, and Bella was determined to keep it that way: She had worked too hard, come too far, to allow a stalker to bring her down.

After the flower delivery, Edward's protective nature reached full heights and she was really never fully by herself. They alternated spending the night and each other's homes, and he was able to work with Carlisle to pick shifts that practically paralleled her concert and rehearsal schedules. When she was at the children's center with the other Cullen ladies she felt safe due to numbers. For the first time in a long while, Bella was actually scared, and she hated it. The family had gotten together with their lawyer and decided not to confront James. He really hadn't done anything illegal, and so there was nothing to actually accuse him of. Edward had, of course, yelled and screamed at the poor attorney, asking if they had to wait for someone to get hurt before doing something. The only response he received was that stalkers generally do something to hang themselves, but you have to give them enough rope to do so.

Now it was a week after the incident, and Bella was starting to feel better, but still apprehensive. She made her way back to the dressing room, knowing that Carlisle and Rose would meet her there to drive her to Edward's place and hang out until he got home from work. She entered the room, turning on the light looking around to make sure things were in place. Satisfied, she moved to put her violin away when she heard a light knock on the door. Assuming it was the Cullens, she said, "Come on in."

James knew his window of time was small, and he wanted to have a moment alone with Bella while he could. It hadn't escaped his notice that she was really never without Edward, Jasper, Emmett or Carlisle hovering around her. Interestingly enough, though, he had seen her and Rosalie out by themselves a few times over the past week – that blondie's face may have been lacking, but her body was hot and if Emmett thought that his wife was off limits he was more stupid than he looked, _Bella is my first love, but Rose can be part of the deal anytime, _he thought moving down the hallway towards his girl's dressing room. His heart swelled when she answered his knock, telling him to come in.

"Hey Bella, great job tonight," he said softly, entering the room. "Did you get the flowers that I sent last week? I really wanted to apologize to you for my behavior at the bar. I was totally drunk and out of line." James really did feel bad about that and wanted Bella to know, to understand. Everything he'd done so far had been out of love and a desire to protect her from the so-called reformed Lothario that was Edward Cullen.

Sighing, Bella answered him, "Thank you for the flowers, but I think you should go.

"Why do you want me to leave Bella? We're friends, right?" James asked innocently.

"How did you know Edward and I went to Galena?" Bella boldly asked, looking into eyes. 

"I heard Edward telling Emmett at work," he lied smoothly, "Is that a problem?"

"Is what a problem?" Carlisle asked sharply, coming to stand between Bella and James, pulling Rose behind him. _My sons are going to kill me for letting this man get so close, _he thought, standing tall against James.

Swallowing hard, James looked at his boss, "I was just leaving. Good night Bella, Mrs. Cullen," he nodded to Rose, "Dr. Cullen, I'll see you tomorrow." He turned on his heel, walking out the door.

"Bella, are you okay?" Carlisle asked as Rose rushed to her side. He felt sick that he let his son down in that James had been alone with her.

"I'm fine. Let's just go - I'm sure Edward is wondering why I haven't called."

Carlisle conceded, leading the two most precious things in his sons' lives to his car, "Sounds like a plan," he said, wondering when this terrible feeling in his stomach would end.

**So, the stalker drama continues…I've loved the reviews. Please send more – we are about half way through. Thanks! **


	17. Chapter 16

**Thanks for so much for all of the reviews! I love that people are taking the time to leave me their thoughts – it means a lot to me. Keep 'em coming ;) Go check out the teaser for Chapter 17 at **** pictease**** (.)twificnews (.)com….SM owns all.**

Chapter 16

Pissed as hell. That was the general reaction of Edward and Emmett upon hearing that James had basically cornered Bella alone in her dressing room. They were gathered at Edward's apartment, listening to Carlisle recount what happened.

"What the fuck is wrong with that guy?" Edward demanded of no one in particular. Turning to Carlisle he practically shouted, "Did you see him at the concert with the rest of his family? Were you even watching out for him?"

Bella got up and tugged her irate boyfriend down next to her on the couch, "Please don't yell at your dad, Edward. I didn't see James in the Hunter's box either. He could have easily come in after the concert ended and gone straight backstage."

Settling a bit under Bella's touch, he pulled her into his lap sideways, nuzzling her thick hair. "I'm sorry, dad," he muttered. "I just can't believe that there's nothing we can do legally. I mean he is stalking her for shit's sake and because he hasn't trespassed or threatened her there is no action to take." It was true. They had gone around and around with the family attorney searching for grounds to file a restraining order, but James had played this thing well, and he just looked like a persistent suitor at this point. Even knowing about their trip could be explained away since the two men worked together and its possible James overhead Edward talking – even though they all knew that was a lie, in court it would simply become a he-said, he-said situation.

Carlisle spoke up, "No need to apologize, son. I'm so sorry that he was alone with her. The way he was looking at her, and," he looked at Emmett apologetically, "Rose, quite frankly was disturbing. I've known that man to be a good doctor and quite level headed since he started working for me – I wouldn't have hired him otherwise. Plus, we've known him for over 20 years! In all of that time though, I've never seen him behave like this. I just don't know what's happened." Carlisle shook his head. James had always been in the background of his children's lives. Whereas Tanya tended to stir up trouble, James was the diligent Hunter kid. He never really excelled, but never failed either. _I wish I would've paid more attention to what exactly was going on with that boy, _he thought, blaming himself a bit that this member of his staff was causing so much pain.

"I'll tell you what's happened," Emmett stated sharply, "Tanya is what's happened. I can guarantee she is behind this behavior. I know we haven't heard a peep from her since Bella's birthday, but that's doesn't mean she's not behind this crazy shit. If James thinks he loves Bella, then he will play into Tanya's hand – he's always been a follower."

"Love me?" Bella questioned incredulously, "He doesn't even know me! I just don't see how all of this is possible…" Her rant was interrupted by the ring tone of her cell, the one reserved for unidentified numbers. She turned to get the phone before Edward grabbed it from her.

"Hello," he gruffly answered, not really caring who he offended at that point. Nothing. Silence. And then line went dead.

"Who was it?" Emmett asked menacingly. At this point they were all on edge and pissed beyond belief.

"They hung up, I-" before Edward could finish his statement the phone began ringing in his hand again. "Hello," he practically shouted, "Hello!" he roared when he was met with silence. The line went dead. Edward resisted the urge to smash Bella's phone against the wall. He didn't know why this was happening: He finally found someone to love and now this threat loomed over her head. His caveman instincts were running wild and there wasn't anything he could do to rein them in. Without saying a word, he scooted Bella back a bit on his lap so he could look directly at her, "Does James know your phone number, baby?" He asked.

"Well, yeah, I mean I called him a few times when I first met him. You know that," she stopped to take a breath, "My cell isn't blocked, so I'm sure he saved it." The phone rang again, and before Edward could react Bella grabbed it from his hand. "Hello," she asked sharply. The person on the other end let out a deep breath, whispered something that sounded like, 'good night', and then hung up. Staring at the phone she was dumbfounded. _Could James really be doing this to me?_

Rosalie broke the silence as the group stared at Bella who sat in Edward's lap shaking and holding the phone, "Well, what did they say?"

"Whoever it was just whispered 'good night' and hung up," Bella's voice trembled as tears filled her eyes. The men all began talking at once about loop holes and lawyers and spending whatever amount they needed in order to make this go away.

After a moment of craziness, Bella stood up and hushed them all, "I'm done pretending that this is not real. Please," she addressed the irate Cullen men, "do what it takes to make this stop. I'm really scared." Sitting back down in Edward's lap she buried her face in his neck as his arms tightened around her. Looking over her head, Edward motioned for his family to head out.

Carlisle passed by, touching Bella's shoulder, "You'll be fine Bella, you are too important, not just to Edward but to us all for us to allow anything to happen. Please believe me."

She felt comforted by his words and after the others said their goodbyes, she and Edward sat for a moment, wrapped up in one another, neither one willing to let go. Finally they moved towards the bedroom, where Bella removed her dress, revealing a pretty pale pink bra and panty set.

Seeing the expanse of perfect skin covered only by tiny scraps of pink lace was exactly what Edward needed in that moment. He headed over to Bella, pulling the night clothes she had gathered out of her hands. "Baby," he breathed against her skin, kissing her collar bone gently, "I want you so much."

Just as she was about to answer, her phone's tone altered her that she received a text. Looking down at the phone as Edward grabbed it, they both shuddered. The message was not anonymous; it was clearly from James' number and read, _I didn't get to finish telling you tonight how sorry I am for my behavior at the bar. I need to make it up to not only you, but to Rose and Alice as well; and I plan on doing just that. Also, I wanted to tell you that you looked beautiful tonight. Sweet Dreams Bella – James._

Edward threw the phone across the room. Growling as it hit the floor. "I'm getting you a new phone tomorrow." He watched intently as Bella nodded, feeling an instinctive need to remind her who she belonged to. His heated gaze caused her body to visibly respond; she licked her lips while little pink nipples puckered up against the flimsy lace of her bra. Pulling, pushing, and ripping he had her naked in the blink of an eye. Slowly circling her, he finally stopped directly in front of her and reached out gently to cup her breast, "Who do you belong to?" He asked with a low dangerous voice.

So turned on she could hardly breathe, Bella responded, "You – only to you Edward." That seemed to set something off in him and he captured her mouth, roughly grabbing her ass and pulling her naked body against his clothed one. Moving to the edge of the bed he sat her on the side spread her wide, her legs falling over his shoulders as he sucked her clit into his mouth. The sensations were too much, the licking, thrusting and feel of his mouth brought her to the edge quickly and she screamed his name, cumming around his tongue.

Removing her limp legs from his shoulders, Edward watched her with a deep need to claim; to make sure that she knew he would always love her, always protect her, always need her. Quickly stripping he reached down a grabbed Bella around the waist, flipping her over the bed, her delicious ass pressed against him. Spreading her wide he thrust into her, groaning at the tight walls clenching around him.

Still recovering from her orgasm, Bella hardly realized what Edward was doing until he was deep inside of her. It felt sublime and she began to meet him thrust for thrust. He reached around and fondled her breasts she felt the familiar sensation building deep inside. _Oh shit, I'm finally going to cum around his dick,_ she thought in a daze, somewhat incoherent from the pleasure.

He felt her walls tightening and couldn't hold back any longer, "That's it baby, cum with me – now," he commanded as he exploded into her. He let his body rest on hers, covering and protecting. Finally, he leaned forward and gently kissed down her spine, "Are you okay? 

Bella turned in his arms, pulling him onto the bed with her. Wordlessly they got under the covers and snuggled together. "I'm perfect," she answered him, "Are you okay?" Though the love making had been wonderful, it had an edge to it that she hadn't seen from Edward before.

"I'm sorry if I was too rough, though you finally seemed to enjoy it as much as I do," he said with an eyebrow waggle, not wanting to let it go that he had _finally_ made her come during actual sex. She giggled, the moment lightening considerably. "But," he continued in a more serious tone, "I am afraid I'm going to lose you. It's a feeling that I can't shake," he took a deep breath, "I can't let that happen Bella, I love you too much, I've waited too long for you. Promise you'll allow me to take of this thing my way, to keep you safe, no matter what."

She nodded, "I trust you baby. I'll do whatever you say; I love you too, so much." They drifted off to sleep, hoping that it would be enough.

*H*S*

"You stupid asshole!" Tanya yelled at her furious cousin, "The cluster fuck that this thing has become is not my fault."

James paced back and forth across his living room. This shit with Bella was not turning out the way he had hoped. He tried to play the nice guy, but after the 4th of July party he realized he was in love with Bella and that he couldn't let her go. Following Tanya's plan, however, had not been going well.

"You think this isn't your fault?" he seethed, "You gave Cullen enough evidence with those stupid pictures that he was able to get a restraining order against you! What kind of plan was that? Now you can't get close enough to him to try and charm him back in your bed."

Tanya sighed, she had perhaps come out with too much drama in the beginning, and it had blown up in their faces. "How was I supposed to know the little bitch would actually believe him!" she stated, ignoring James' narrowed eyes at her derisive comment about Bella, "I thought she'd leave him and go running straight to you, and then I've have a shot. Fuck."

James sat down next to her, "So what do we do now? Trying to get close to Bella has made me look like a crazy stalker, and you can't even be near Edward."

Tanya sat for a moment. "Well, James, its true that I can't get near Edward, but the restraining order says nothing about my proximity to Bella," her voice was low and calm, a plan forming in her mind.

"Tanya," James warned, "I love her – you can't hurt her. Besides, hurting her won't do anything to ingratiate you to Edward."

"I don't have to hurt her, but scaring her may be useful," she continued, "At some point the Cullens will have had enough and they'll drop the little drama queen so fast her head will spin. But, have no fear, the Hunter family will be there to comfort her, with you leading the pack…" she trailed off. She knew James was a bit delusional. He'd always been kind of a loner who took direction well. She'd used his proclivity to blur the line between fantasy and reality, as well as his hate of the Cullens for her purposes in the past – she had no problem doing so now.

"Fine," James conceded, "Scare, but not hurt. Remember, I am in love with this woman and I don't want anything to harm her." James sighed, hoping allowing Tanya to take the lead would work out, not sure how else he would finally make Bella his.

**There you have it! Please review…lots of hits and not a lot of reviews make me sad…Chapter 17 will be up mid-next week. **


	18. Chapter 17

**So, the response to the last chapter was interesting: The most hits and visitors for any chapter so far, but the fewest reviews! I am assuming y'all read it, but didn't like it – sorry! I'm trying to make this thing as believable and entertaining as I can (and those two things don't always go together). I will say that I have worked more as a psychiatrist with stalkers than their victims, and what I have seen is that stalkers play on the fact that victims seem to not readily admit that they are in danger until it's too late….this is kind of what I was going for with Bella. **

**Anyway, on with the chapter! I only wish that I owned Twilight…Also, I don't have a beta, so any mistakes are mine. Oh, and this is rated M.**

Chapter 17

In the week following the run in with James and the frightening phone calls, more steps were taken to ensure Bella's safety. Edward bought her a new phone with an unlisted number. He and Bella also met with the philharmonic and explained the situation, stating that Bella needed to feel safe at work. The company decided that though they couldn't keep James out of the concert hall that he would not be allowed backstage under any circumstances. Additionally, Bella was granted extra security around her dressing room and to and from her car. She and Edward continued to spend the night at each other's apartments. All in all she felt fairly safe. Fairly.

"Baby," Edward asked her one night on the way home from her concert, "What are you thinking about?" He had been so concerned since she finally came to terms with the threat facing her. Bella was sweet and innocent, but also naïve. The other emotion that coursed through him was guilt: In a desire to make his girl happy he had ignored his gut instinct to hire a private investigator and security to follow James and keep Bella safe and worry free.

"I'm really not thinking about much, to be honest," she sighed, "I just still can't believe that things turned out this way with James. I thought he was nice, kinda persistent, but nice nonetheless. How could I have been so stupid?" The lights blurred by, the streets passing as they sped into the night. The cool glass of the window pressed against her forehead as she leaned against it staring out at the city spinning by.

Edward swallowed down the lump in his throat. "Sweetheart, you are kind and generous. You see the best in people. These are qualities about you that I love; I would hate if James took that away from you." He reached over and gave her bare thigh a squeeze beneath the flowing skirt of the dress she wore.

Bella nodded, continuing to peer out the window. They entered Edward's apartment silently and she walked directly towards the large windows that overlooked the city. Feeling warms strong arms surrounding her, she stared at Edward's reflection in the glass, following his hands trailing up and down her sides, stopping to rest just under her breasts.

"I love you," he breathed into her ear, moving slightly to cup her chest. Her responsive moan egged him on, leading to kisses down the slender column of her neck as he moved aside the strap of her dress. Nudging thin piece of material out of the way, he quickly found the zipper and tugged it down to reveal only a tiny scrap of fabric covering her sweet pussy. Without a thought Edward ripped away the material, gazing at her reflection in the glass, naked but still clad in a pair of fuck-me heels. Flipping her around, he pressed Bella into the window, dropping to his knees and placing one leg over his shoulder. The sight of her bare dripping wet center sent him into a near frenzy, his tongue thrusting deep into the opening he found upon spreading her legs wide open. Tasting this sweet skin was the best thing he'd tasted on a woman his life – if he could spend all day in this exact position, face between Bella's thighs, life would be great. He continued to tease, lick and suck until she shuddered above him, calling out his name and gripping his hair tightly with her little hands.

"Edward," she whimpered, "Take me to bed, make love to me." The floor was removed from beneath her as she was carried to the bed, safe and secure in the arms of the man she loved.

*H*S*

The security officer faded off in her rear view mirror as Bella headed towards home after work. The extra guards had been hired due to a generous donation from the Cullen family and she had to admit that having them constantly around made her feel better. While waiting at a stoplight she quickly texted Edward to let him know she was on the way. They were staying at her place for a few days and had opted to switch back forth between the two homes as was convenient for their work schedules. _It seems silly to even keep two apartments,_ she thought briefly before pushing the errant thought out of her mind. _Too soon…and not because we have to._

Pressing down the accelerator as the light turned green, Bella maneuvered back into traffic. Bright lights of a car too close temporarily blinded her as it suddenly entered her lane. Speeding up a bit to get away from the glare, she shook her head angrily, wondering with the hell is wrong with people! Unfortunately, this distraction tactic didn't work, and the car continued to tailgate, making it difficult for her to see anything. Starting to get really annoyed, Bella drifted to the next lane to the let the crazy driver pass.

She felt the glass hit her arm before she registered the crash of the glass. Stunned, she slammed on the brakes and moved to the side of the road, bumping up on a sidewalk. A brick had plummeted through the passenger side window shattering and effectively spewing glass all over the car and Bella. She could feel the sting of the cuts on her arm. Going by this sensation she guessed that they were lacerations, not deep punctures, as she wasn't in too much pain. Trying to avoid looking at the blood, but knowing she would have to, Bella took a deep breath in and peeked down at her injuries. The edges of her vision faded to black as she took in at least half a dozen small cuts with a single shard of glass poking out of one of the deeper contusions. Gathering her wits before the inevitable fainting spell she pushed down the send on her Bluetooth. When she heard Edward's voice she was only able to mutter, "Help….car, a few blocks away…" before letting the darkness consume her.

"Bella! Baby, what happened?" Edward frantically yelled into the phone simultaneously grabbing his keys and rushing out the door. There was one main route that he knew Bella took home each night, and he rushed on foot, not wanting to bother with his car. _She'd said only a few blocks,_ he thought. After two blocks he saw the car, dark and up on the sidewalk. Sirens blared from somewhere nearby altering that someone had called 911. Running up to the driver side, he tried not to vomit as he saw Bella passed out, cradling a bloody arm in across her stomach. She was covered in glass and the idea that she was hurt caused the bile to rise in this throat further. Taking a deep breath, Edward switched into doctor mode and opened the door, stepping back as chunks of glass fell out and shattered on the ground. Using his sweatshirt he gently brushed glass down and out of the back of her hair, and picked her up cradling her to his chest. Her unconscious state had to be due to seeing blood rather blood loss Edward noted quickly as he scanned her body looking for areas of puncture besides her arm. The ambulance pulled up at that moment and EMTs rushed towards him as Bella stirred in his arms.

"Sir, please, give her to us so we can examine her," he asked, approaching Edward warily, the other EMT following with a gurney.

"No, I don't think, so," Edward replied flatly, "I'm an ER doctor at Chicago General – we'll take her there and I'll do the preliminary examine in the ambulance." Before he could respond, Edward stalked past the shocked paramedic and towards that back of the ambulance.

*H*S*

"Edward," Bella mumbled as she started to come to, realizing she was snuggly cradled against his chest. She squinted at the bright lights, "Where are we?"

"Baby," Edward breathed into her hair, thankful that she was waking up relatively quickly, "We're on the way to the hospital. I want to get that piece of glass out of your arm and see if any of the other cuts need stitches. What happened?"

Bella shook her head, trying to clear it a bit. "I don't really know," she answered honestly. "I was driving home and there was this annoying car on my tail practically blinding me with his headlights. I tried to move over to let it pass and the next thing I knew there was a brick in my car…Oh shit," she cried, getting agitated, "My car! We just left it there. My purse and violin are in there! We need to call the police, and -"

"Sweetheart," Edward held her tighter on his lap, "You've got to calm down. The EMTs have your purse and violin, and I called Emmett and Jasper to come deal with the car and police. Please don't move around until we can deal with this glass at the hospital," he cooed to her gently, making sure not to jostle her arm which he had wrapped up lightly to stop the bleeding but without further embedding minor shards.

Relaxing into his embrace, Bella nuzzled against his chest, "This clearly wasn't an accident, but is there a chance that it was random road rage?" Deep inside she knew that it wasn't, that either Tanya or James was trying to scare her, but she wanted to hope.

"I wish it were random, baby, and in a city as big as Chicago there is a chance. However, given everything that's gone on, we'll just have to wait and see what the police say. I'm sorry sweetheart, but I really don't think it was just some pissed off driver." The ambulance slowed as they approached the hospital. "Let's get you inside and get this taken care of."

"Can you be the one to treat me?" She asked hopefully, really not wanting to have some stranger dig in her arm. Looking up at Edward his face turned into a scowl.

"No, sweetheart, I can't treat you due to our personal relationship, but I'll hold you the whole time. I don't think it's going to be that bad - none of these cuts are that deep. But," he continued, "I have a bad feeling about who might be the attending in the ER tonight."

Just as the statement left his mouth the ambulance doors swung open to reveal a smug James. "I heard that member of the staff was bringing his injured girlfriend in, so I thought I'd make sure to meet the ambulance – I figured I'd have to make sure she is well taken care of – you know be a good colleague and all," he smirked, staring straight at Bella. "What a surprise that it turns out to be my favorite couple."

Careful not to jostle Bella, Edward stood up and stepped out of the ambulance, holding her tightly to his chest. "You'll touch her over my dead body Hunter. Where is my father?" He asked with cool finality. He was in no mood to deal with this bullshit. The fact that they still hadn't pinned a restraining order on this bastard pissed him off to no end. It was basically two powerful family lawyers battling the courts at this point – but Edward knew that the Hunter attorney had strongly advised James to stay away, especially since he was claiming there was no reason a restraining order was needed in the first place.

"I don't think that the chief of staff is lurking around at almost midnight waiting to clean wounds and perform sutures," James sneered back. He hated the way Edward was cradling Bella, his hands all over her, making no attempt to hide his intimate hold on her body. _It should be me taking care of her,_ he inwardly fumed, _she better not be hurt because of Tanya – I said scare, not injure!_ "What happened anyway?" he asked.

"None of your business," Edward stormed into the ER and started barking at the nearest nurse to page his father since he knew for a fact he was on call that night. After a few moments, Carlisle appeared, clearly upset seeing Bella hurt and bleeding in the arms of his distraught son.

"Come on," Carlisle urged, "Let's get her into an exam room and you can tell me what happened." Once settled, Bella still firmly ensconced on Edward's lap as Carlisle gently cleaned her wounds, they told him everything that had happened, including the James' creepy reaction when they stepped out of the ambulance.

Before responding to what he'd just heard Carlisle asked Bella how her arm felt. She replied that it was okay, and seemed to take comfort in the fact that the cuts were superficial and should heal quickly. "Bella, Edward, this clearly wasn't an accident. Did someone call the police?" There was light knock on the door and upon given the okay to enter, Emmett and Jasper stepped into the room.

"Are you okay Bella?" Emmett asked, clearly concerned for this woman who had become so important to his brother and his wife, as well as himself, in such a short amount of time. He dreaded the news he was about to share and wanted to make sure she wasn't in too much pain first.

"I'm fine, Emmett. What did the police say? Where is my car?" She asked anxiously.

Jasper answered, "Don't worry about the car darlin'. After the police took pictures we had it towed to the body shop. They'll have it fixed and cleaned up in a few days."

"But," Emmett started slowly, "The police have pretty easily ruled out a random act of violence," he swallowed, "The brick had a message on it. There is no easy way to say this."

"Just spit it out," Edward hissed, frustrated with the whole situation.

"The brick said, _Die whore. The Swan slut's time is up."_

The only sound was Bella's sob echoing through the small exam room. This was real, and it was far from over.

**There you have it! Please review….it makes me smile. Thanks for all of the alerts and favorites though! There will likely be another update this week, but I'm going on vacation for a week, so I can't promise. **


	19. Chapter 18

**Thanks so much for all of the favorites and alerts. I wish there were more reviews though…Even if it is to point out things about the story that make you cringe and say "What is she thinking?" It will help me for the story I've got brewing in my mind for when this one is complete.**

**I don't own Twilight…Oh, and this is rated M. I don't have a beta, so all small errors are mine. **

Chapter 18

The week following the accident was one of massive change for Bella. Though her arm was not severely injured, she did need a few days of healing before she could hold a violin for hours on end. Edward decided to take some time off too. The need to guard and protect Bella overwhelmed him, and he stayed as close as he could without smothering her – much.

"Baby," he called into the bedroom, "The security guys will be here any minute. Are you ready?" She came out of the room looking sinful in a soft white skirt and v-neck tank, mahogany locks tumbling around her shoulders. Edward sighed taking in her beauty feeling his cock stand to attention. _Shit,_ he thought, _we just made love an hour ago, not to mention twice last night. How is it that I want her all the time?_ He reached over tugging her up against his chest and leaned down to kiss her softly on the lips. "You are too pretty for your own good sweetheart. Are you trying to give these guys a heart attack?"

She scoffed, "No, I just want to look nice. It's not like I've ever had to meet a bodyguard before. I'm not sure what to expect." After the police determined that the brick in the car was likely tied to James or Tanya or possibly both, she'd _finally_ been able to secure a restraining order against the deranged pair. However, Edward still insisted on hiring a private security team that included a personal guard that would be near her at all times when she left the house. He would also drive her wherever she needed to go when Edward couldn't accompany her. The knock on the door caused Bella to jump slightly in Edward's arms: Despite knowing she was perfectly safe at the moment, ever since the attack she'd been on edge.

Releasing her, but keeping their hands intertwined, Edward opened the door to reveal two men whose size rivaled even that of Emmett. "Hello," he ushered them in, "I'm Edward Cullen and this is my girlfriend Isabella Swan." Edward took the opportunity to look the guys over as they greeted Bella and walked into the living room. One of the guys was just your average looking Joe, but Edward was secure enough in his own masculinity to admit that the other guard wasn't exactly hurting in the looks department, to put it lightly. _Fuck, _he thought dryly, _that's whose going to be hovering over my girl all day while I'm gone? Perfect._

Bella took in the large men with wide eyes and shook their hands, blushing slightly at the one named Demitri, who happened to be very attractive. _Not Edward-level hotness, but still cute,_ she couldn't help but notice. He had dark hair and eyes that were almost black. His smile revealed bright pearly white teeth that were surrounded by a perfectly shaped mouth. Immediately, she turned her attention to Felix, the other man who had soft eyes and a kind expression. "Hello, its nice to meet you both," she said softly, 'Thank for you agreeing to take this assignment."

Demitri smiled back at the pretty brunette, "That's our job. Mr. Cullen filled us in on everything that's happened when we spoke on the phone, but we'd like to hear from your perspective as the victim. Please start at the beginning and don't leave out any details, no matter how minor they might seem." He listened intently to the petite beautiful woman, _Don't notice how she looks asshole, _he admonished himself, _her boyfriend hired you to protect her, not perv on her!_ Turning back to Bella, as she'd insisted they call her, he was struck by the feelings of being watched that she'd had since the night of her opening concert. "Tell me about the night in the parking garage when you heard the laughter," he inquired gently.

Bella snuggled a bit more into Edward's side shuddering, remembering that evening clearly. "It was the night that I met James, actually. He and I were talking until Edward returned with my drink and James left, telling me that he would be sure to see me soon. The next day I got flowers from him and called to thank him. He asked me out" – she glanced at a scowling Edward realizing she hadn't told him that part. She continued after giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, "But I turned him down, and there was another mention that he wouldn't give up on me."

Demitri looked through his notes from the interview with Edward, "Mr. Cullen mentioned there were a few times you felt you were being watched. Can you think of another time specifically?"

Bella blushed, thinking of the cottage by the lake. "Umm, well there was a time at a party at Edward's parent's house, the 4th of July party. Edward and I went to a small cottage on the side of the property for some time, um time to ourselves, and I felt like someone was watching us. I don't know, maybe it's silly." Bella buried her face into Edward's neck, feeling like she'd just admitted to her dad that she was fooling around with her boyfriend.

Clearing his throat, not allowing himself to imagine all of fun things one could do during _alone time _with this beautiful girl, he responded, "It's not silly, Bella. I've found in doing this work that people's instincts are usually right, but they don't trust themselves. It's easier to pretend a threat doesn't exist than to face it head on. That very fact is what stalkers plan on. Psychopaths are experts at finding holes in their victim's logic and using it to their advantage. I think we have enough information to start creating a plan to keep you safe." The two men stood up, explaining that they would spend the day at Bella's apartment overseeing the installation of her new security system. Demitri programmed his and Felix's numbers into her cell, clarifying that she was to call no matter what time of day or night when she needed them or felt that something was "off." The men left, explaining they'd be back tomorrow to stay with Bella while Edward returned to work.

"They seem nice and very competent," Bella stated as she shut the door and walked back towards Edward who stood in the middle of the living room with an odd look on his face.

"Hmm," he put his arms around her and whispered in her ear, "Don't think I missed that blush for Demitri sweetheart," he half-teased, giving her a squeeze, "Do I have competition on my hands?" He knew that he didn't really, especially feeling her body respond to his gestures, but fuck if he wasn't curious about his girl's reaction to the attractive man that she would be spending so much time with.

Bella shuddered as his lips made contact with her neck, reflexively moving her head to the side to give him better access, "He's cute baby, but nothing compared to you. Besides," she fingered the little diamond heart pendant that never left her body, "You know you own me completely. "Mind," she kissed him squarely on the lips, "body" kiss "and soul." She kissed him again deeply reaching up to tug on the small hairs at the base of his neck.

Unable to stop himself at hearing her words of devotion, Edward quickly lifted her shirt over her head with one hand and pushed her skirt and panties down with the other. After taking a moment to unsnap her bra and tweak her nipples, he lifted her easily and wrapped her legs around his waist walking them back towards the wall. Bracing her against the wood her kissed and licked his way down her neck, growling, "He's cute, huh?"

"Oh shit…" she breathed feeling the wetness drip down her thighs as she tried to push against him, but was held away by the space he purposely created, leaving her desperate for friction, "Cute like a puppy…fuck...Not hot like you. _No one_ is hot like you baby. No one turns me on like you can."

"Mmm, that's more like it," he rewarded her by reaching one hand down to cup her sweet little pussy. "This is mine," he growled as he squeezed for emphasis, "I don't want to have to worry about anyone else looking at it, touching it, or tasting it." _Shit this domineering stuff is turning her on, _he thought, _who knew?_

"For me there is no one but you Edward," her husky voice filled the air as she ground into his hand and arched her back. He released her and took a nipple into his mouth as while unbuckling his belt and pushing his pants to the floor. Gasping as he thrust into her Bella met him stroke for stroke her back sliding up and down the wall. It was more raw and primal than she'd ever experienced and more quickly than she thought possible her muscles clamped down on his cock as she came with force.

"Bella!" he roared as his orgasm overtook him. "Fuck," he let her down carefully, making sure she could stand on her own before reaching down to redress, "Are you okay? I was kinda rough. I don't know what got into me."

Bella grasped around his neck and kissed him deeply, passionately, "I love you and I'm perfect, that was perfect. You know that you never have any reason to be jealous of any man, right?" She asked softly.

"I know baby, because as much as I am yours, you are mine. Totally and completely."

*H*S*

"Not you too Rose," Edward groaned as his sister-in-law blushed and giggled after meeting Demitri. "What is it about that guy that turns women into high school girls all over again? It's not like he's the first attractive man you've ever seen…" Edward mumbled as the hulking bodyguard headed out the door to get the cars ready.

Emmett entered the living room with a beer in his hand and a skeptical look on his face after hearing the end of Edward's comments. The group was meeting up for a drink before heading out dancing. Now that the security team was in place they all wanted to experience a bit of freedom, well as much freedom as one can have with an armed guard ten feet away at all times. Alice, of course, decided that going to the opening of a new club downtown was the best way to get a much-needed shot of fun. "Who's attractive and why is Rosie all blushed out over there?" Emmett asked, kind of afraid to hear the answer.

Jasper rolled his eyes, "It seems as though our girls think that Demitri is _hot_," he teased glaring at the women.

"What the hell Rosie? I'm the hottest guy you know!" Emmett walked over to her and placed an arm around her waist, pulling her close. He whispered not so softly, "Don't make me throw you down right here and you remind you why," he threatened. Even though he was teasing, that shit didn't sit well with him. _Fuck, I'm not joking, _he thought when the group laughed.

"Eww," Alice said flatly, "Keep it in the bedroom Emmett. We were just commenting on the fact that if Bella has to be followed around by a bodyguard at least we all get a piece of eye candy."

"I'd like to see him come out shopping with us," Rose laughed, "Imagine him trailing us around La Perla." The girls doubled over at the thought while the guys shared a scared look.

"Hell no, Bella," Edward hauled her into his lap, pushing her hair aside to lick and tease her neck, "Baby, what you wear under your clothes is for my eyes only, even on the hanger – you can order online when you need lingerie. Or better yet, I'll go buy it for you." Demitri actually was a very nice and respectable guy. However, Edward could tell he knew exactly what kind of effect he had on the girls. _I'm certain that guy inwardly loves making them swoon. Ass. _

Emmett reached over for a fist punch in agreement just as said bodyguard entered the room and cleared his throat. "The cars are ready. Felix will ride with the Whitlocks and Emmett. Rose," he turned to address her directly, "I hope you don't mind riding with myself and Edward and Bella – it just makes it easier for us to divide you all up that way."

Rose nodded in agreement quickly while Emmett rolled his eyes. _Whatever, _Rosalie thought, _Consider it payback for all times I have to watch other chicks droll all over you. _"See ya later baby," she playfully kissed her husband before heading out the door with the others in tow. _This was going to be a fun night. _

The club had a cool vibe with deep burgundy walls and a long walnut bar surrounded by high tables. The group had no trouble getting in as Alice had gotten them on the VIP list. They settled at a table while Edward went to the bar to order drinks. Demitri and Felix chose a table nearby and discreetly kept an eye on the surroundings. After the first round was gone, Edward pulled Bella up from her spot, "Let's go dance beautiful."

She nodded. Bella had always loved to dance and she couldn't wait to get on the floor with such a gorgeous partner. Adjusting the top of her mid-thigh backless dress she led Edward into the crowd where he quickly turned her so she was facing him. He pressed her body close, the music swirling around them as he started moving their hips together rhythmically. Bella shuddered as his fingers played along the long expanse of her bare back, gasping as she felt him dip below the side of the material and graze her breast with his fingers.

"Mm baby, this dress is perfect – easy access to some of my favorite parts of you," he stretched his finger a bit to touch her nipple.

Practically panting at this point, Bella responded by grinding into him further. They continued to dance and tease, enjoying each other's company, forgetting about their troubles. Bella loved her time like this with Edward, when barriers were down and they could simply have fun, be playful and indulge in their inherent chemistry. She truly connected with this man on every level.

Edward continued to dance with his girl twirling, moving, bodies flush. He was completely aroused and not caring who knew. The carefree feeling came to an abrupt end when Demitri tapped on his shoulder. Stilling Bella and removing his hand from inside her dress he glared at the man, "What's up?"

"Felix spotted Hunter in the building. He's lurking in hallway by the ladies' room, I assume waiting for Bella. He hasn't spotted us yet, so we have a few options," Demitri quickly explained.

Gathering Bella tightly to him, he sandwiched her between himself and Demitri as he led them back to the table, "What options?" Edward growled, "He's here, so we leave. Period, end of story."

"Wait," Demitri cautioned with his hand out, trying to calm the irate man, "He is in violation of the restraining order by being here. If we call the police before he realizes you've spotted him this is our chance to prove his guilt. What do you want to do?"

Edward sat down on the barstool and pulled Bella between his legs, wrapping his arms around her tightly, her back flush with his chest. "Move away from us and act like any other customer while you call the police. I won't let go of her, and Felix keeps an eye Hunter – he finally gave us the rope, now let him hang."

**So there it is…Will the police arrive on time? Will James get through security? Who knows…Reviews are better than being on the VIP list….Just sayin'. **


	20. Chapter 19

**Thanks so much for all of the favorites and alerts – it makes me happy to see that people are actually reading the story. I wish my reviews reflected the thousands of visitors and tens of thousands of hits, but as long as people like it…Happy 4****th**** of July!**

**I don't own Twilight and I don't have a beta, so all errors are mine.**

Chapter 19

The darkness of the hallway and the noise of the music droning in the background dulled his senses a bit, but James was calm and patient on alert for his beautiful girl to finally make her way towards him. He could imagine her now: Brown hair flowing down her shoulders, just touching the tips her perky breasts, tight little body begging to be touched. He couldn't believe his luck to find such a gorgeous and talented woman. Too bad his sense of gratitude was tempered by his rage at that fucker Edward Cullen for taking her. James remembered the last time he'd tried to ask a girl out, only to be thwarted by that mother fucker.

~ hshsh ~

_Flashback, 1992: Amber was the gorgeous new girl in school. Tall and willowy, James had noticed her the moment she stepped foot in his sophomore English class. Long brown hair, wide green eyes and a body that rivaled any model, he knew in that moment that he wanted her more than anything. Even though he was very smart and quite attractive, James didn't fit in with the popular circle in school. That clique was ruled by guys like Jasper Whitlock and the Cullen brothers, not loners like him. Studying hard, getting good grades and making his parents happy were James' thing. _It would be nice to have a girl though_, he thought wistfully. James had only had one girlfriend freshman year, and things ended badly when she moved away, effectively abandoning him. Amber, though, seemed as sweet as she was gorgeous and he highly doubted she would be swayed by players like Emmett and Edward. At least he hoped._

_After that first day in class, when James had actually managed to introduce himself to the beautiful girl without acting like a total fool, things had gone well. They chatted at school all the time and he even walked her to the class following the one they shared. He had decided to ask Amber to the Autumn Homecoming dance. After she accepted, he would take her to a wonderfully romantic dinner, and then the dance. She would be treated like the princess she was as James lavished attention and held her in his arms. He could hardly wait!_

_After class, James hurried to Amber's locker. When he turned the corner the sight that met him sickened every part of him. A long beautiful leg, hitched around a distinctively male hip, large hand traveling up her sides to cup her breasts, neck exposed for greedy licks and kisses. Edward Cullen had Amber in his arms, teasing her and loving her. He cleared his throat loudly, causing the couple to break apart. Amber looked at him, "Hey James! Edward just asked me to Homecoming! Can you believe it?"_

_Edward turned to give him a smug look, "Yeah, James, can you believe it?" _

_James stalked away, not bothering to look back. He had lost yet another thing that was important to him to fucking Edward Cullen, and it would never happen again._

_End of flashback._

Breaking out of his reverie and returning to the moment, James refocused on the task at hand. Keeping tabs on Bella even with a restraining order in place had been pretty easy. Money speaks, and paying someone to watch her and report back was simpler than he expected. One of Tanya's smarter ideas had been keeping the guy she staged the pictures with on their payroll; he actually wasn't half-bad and could be sneaky when required. Such sneakiness became helpful after James had been warned that Cullen upped security on Bella. In fact, the times she'd been without Edward there was at least one bodyguard hovering. James actually didn't mind that so much since he was still livid with Tanya for the stunt with the brick. Bodyguards were by nature easy to get around; and let's face it, they couldn't follow her every single place she went. They would make a mistake, and he would find it. _I'm certain if I could just spend enough time with her alone that I could make her understand that we belong together,_ he thought as he peered out of the hallway and scanned the crowd for his beauty.

Fuming, he did indeed find her, on the dance floor with Edward wrapped around her in a totally inappropriate way. The little black dress she had on was short and tight with an open back that Cullen was certainly enjoying. _Fuck! It should be me touching her, licking her, plunging my fingers beneath that material. _Refocusing to the task at hand, James looked around the room for the bodyguards. He hadn't seen them in person, but his guy had shown him a few pictures taken with a cell. Feeling pretty certain he would've recognized them if they were here, James continued to wait patiently for Bella to need the restroom. After awhile, he noticed that the couple had moved to a table and Edward held Bella in his arms like she would disappear if he let her go for a second. This made James a bit wary, and he decided that if she didn't come down the hallway in ten minutes he would leave and try again another time.

The minutes ticked by and finally James decided to make his way out the back door. He was frustrated because he had truly hoped to convince Bella to come home with him. He had even imagined with satisfaction the look on Edward's face when she would leave him there alone. But, Cullen was still holding on to her for dear life. Furthermore, something was not right: He could feel it in the air.

"You are under arrest for the violation of a restraining order in the case Isabella Swan. You have the right to remain silent…" the rage roaring through James' ears blocked out the reading of his Miranda rights as he opened the door and was met by the Chicago PD slapping cuffs on him. He was pushed violently against the wall as he struggled with the officer, wanting a chance to explain himself. Suddenly, smug laughter entered the cacophony of noise.

"You little fucker," Edward spat at James, "Did you really think I'd let you near her again after everything you've done?" Edward stared at the irate man, wondering just how someone who seemed pretty smart professionally could have turned out to be such a psychopath.

"I'm not saying a word without my lawyer jackass," James spit back at Edward before getting in the back of squad car. He picked up his phone and texted Tanya to come post bail and call his attorney – this was far from over if he could help it.

Walking back into the club Edward was pleased to see Bella sitting right where he had left her flanked by Demitri and Felix. His family was seated around the table, waiting anxiously to hear what happened. After pulling Bella back into his lap, he explained that James had been arrested trying to leave the club through a door next to the ladies' room that led to a back alley. It appears that Demitri's hunch was correct that he was waiting there for Bella. "Shh, baby," he murmured into Bella's hair as she shuddered in his arms. "I told you I will always take care of you. Anyway, James was arguing with the cops about needing a lawyer. That's all I could hear before they drove off."

The mood had turned somber so the couples dispersed and headed home. Once inside and locked up Bella rested her head on Edward's chest, breathing in his scent trying to calm herself after the night's events. "They can't really keep him in jail though right?" In the talks with the attorney Bella had learned that in Illinois violating a restraining order usually resulted in a misdemeanor the first time with bail for release from jail, which the Hunters could easily pay.

"I don't know sweetheart. He doesn't have any record of violence, especially since he was at work the night of the brick incident. He is a good doctor from a respected family, which makes this all more complex. But," he continued, "It's a good sign that he was unable to get to you even in such a crowded place. I think that we saw tonight that Demitri and Felix can do their jobs."

Bella's sigh turned to a shudder as Edward's fingers began to travel slowly up and down her spine, dipping below the back of her dress to play with the top of her panties. Unable to help the moan that escaped her lips she arched into Edward's touch, pressing her breasts against his hard chest. "Mmm, baby, you know what I would love right now?"

"Anything sweetheart," he answered sincerely, shocked continually at his willingness to give and give to this woman. Selfish, and gracious only when required, had been his modus operandi for so long, and then entered this tiny woman who made him want to be a better man. His life reorganized around her needs, and instead of feeling resentful he loved it. He loved her. The main thing that made their relationship work was the fact that she loved him in return and treated him with such respect and honesty. Asking her again, he said, "What would you like baby?"

Leaning back to place her chin on his chest so their eyes met, she replied, "I'd love a bubble bath with you."

He smiled, eyes twinkling, "Best idea I've heard all night, let's do it." Her request was so simple that it bothered him that there had been trepidation in her voice when she asked. "Baby, you know I'd give you anything – don't ever be afraid to ask me for what it is that you need."

She nodded, "I love you – let's go soak." She seductively pulled her dress over her head and threw it to the side, facing him naked save for a tiny thong and stilettos. Edward stalked over to her and ripped the panties right off of her. When she retorted that he owed her a few pairs now, his response was "Hell yeah. Let's get into the tub." And they did, bubbles surrounding, hands stroking until they both achieved a much needed release. A quick shower later they were wrapped in each other's arms in the large comfortable bed, feeling a bit safer, for now.

*H*S*

"Come on Peter, let's roll. I'm not going to a jail downtown at this time of night alone," Tanya demanded of her bed partner. He really was nothing more: She had hired him to help with the current _situation_ and it didn't hurt that he was cute and had the unruly hair she needed to create those pictures, _And I got more than few awesome orgasms in the process, _she thought wryly. When creating the pictures for Bella's birthday present black-and-white film was necessary since Peter was as blond haired and blue eyed as the day was long. _Nothing compared to Edward's bronze locks and green eyes, but the dude knows how to eat pussy and he's good at going incognito, _she pulled on a shift and threw Peter a hoodie and jeans, "My fucking cousin got himself arrested, we have to go bail his ass out."

_Charming language, _Peter thought sarcastically. Despite Tanya's obvious insanity she was hot and the money was good, so he played along. He did feel bad for James however; the guy was actually the rare combination of smart, hard working and tragically delusional. Sure, that Bella chick was hot as hell not to mention young and innocent, _Well not anymore,_ he thought with an eye roll recalling how Edward Cullen practically mauled her in public every chance he got. If that level of affection was happening in public one could only imagine what they did in private. But, was any hot piece of ass worth losing a career over? He wasn't so sure. He hoped that James knew what he was doing.

"Peter!" Tanya screeched, "Chop chop! We can't leave James to rot like some common criminal!" She was upset that her cousin got caught. He was a good guy and a great doctor, but fuck was he socially inept! He could have any number of perfect looking social climbers in this city. In fact, Chicago had a special name for women who were looking for a way up the social ladder – Wisteria – sweet smelling and beautiful, with a special penchant for climbing.

Once they reached the jail, Tanya sauntered up to the deputy, and softly cooed, "I'm here to post bail for my cousin James Hunter. Can you help me?"

The officer looked over the gorgeous strawberry blonde lustfully, "Sure honey. Just give me a sec," he quickly reviewed the file, knowing exactly who she was talking about. That asshole Dr. Hunter had been demanding things all night. First he wanted a private cell, then he was hungry, then he wanted his lawyer and on and on. Grabbing the bag of the doctor's personal belongings he handed it to the beautiful girl, "Here's his stuff. It'll take me awhile to get all of the paperwork together so go have a seat," he waved towards the small waiting area.

With a smile she thanked him and went to join Peter in the lobby. After a few minutes she got bored and started to poke through James' stuff, grabbing his iPhone and absentmindedly scrolling through his pictures. Until, "Holy Shit!" She practically yelled startlingly Peter, "James has been a naughty peeper! Check out little miss perfect and Edward totally getting it on."

Looking over her shoulder at the various pictures of a topless Bella obviously getting quite a bit of pleasure from someone, he stated, "Where do you think he got these?" _Shit that chick has a nice rack,_ he added in his mind. The photos showed Edward in a few, but in some the angle was such that only Bella filled the screen. The video was clearly from when she came and it was hot as hell.

Tanya quickly emailed the photos and video to herself. She was almost giddy with excitement. The possibilities were endless: Public humiliation, blackmail, framing Bella; this night just got much better. Answering Peter she said, "Who knows? James has been following Bella around for months now. He must've caught her and Edward in an exhibitionist phase or something – from what I remember he gets in mood for that shit every now and then."

"What are you going to do with them? The internet or something?" Peter asked feeling badly for Bella. She really hadn't done anything to deserve Tanya's wrath. Fuck, if he were Edward and had to choose between Bella and this crazy bitch he'd choose the little brunette too!

"No…the internet is too easy to shut down. As soon as the pictures go live and people started to notice the Cullens would have them taken down in minutes. Besides, she'd be a victim then and it would more of the same 'poor little Bella, blah blah blah.'"

Tanya put the phone away as James joined them, giving Peter a warning look that this discussion was over for now. "What happened?"

James huffed, "I tried to meet up with Bella at a club and her bodyguard must've spotted me before I could talk to her. The cops showed up and it all went to hell." He ran his hands through this hair in frustration. This night had turned out so poorly. Hopes for a sweet night showing Bella true romance had ended up in a jail cell. _Fuck._

"You've got to be more careful, James. If you really think getting Bella alone so you can convince her to leave Edward is the way to go, then you're going to have to work harder. Meeting her at club, especially with Edward and those guards hovering isn't going to work. I know you hate my penchant for drama – but it is the only thing that's going to work at this point."

Heading out into the night James contemplated what his cousin had said. Maybe she was right. With Bella here in Chicago she was under the influence of Edward and would never change her mind. If he could get her in a romantic setting out of town then she'd listen. She'd have to. Such a thing would take some planning, but it was possible. With new determination he made his way home. This would work, he knew it.

**What will Tanya do with the pictures? What is James planning? We're getting to the climax of the story soon. Please review….Next update will be later this week or early on Saturday. When I see my inbox full of reviews I smile…Just sayin'.**


	21. Chapter 20

**Thanks for all the reviews, favs, and story alerts! I love it. Anyway, here is the next chapter, with chapter 21 to follow mid next week. Go check out the pic tease at pictease(.)twificnews(.)com/….**

**As always, I own nothing except for my mistakes…. **

Chapter 20

The weeks after James' arrest turned out to be fairly calm. Despite being released easily with misdemeanor charges, James appeared to take the whole thing seriously. Edward explained to Bella that a light misdemeanor charge was not enough for James to lose his medical license, for now. If he showed more signs of stalking, such as proof that he followed or spied on Bella or tried again to contact her, the risk of a felony would increase, and the state medical board of Illinois would revoke his license to practice medicine. Bella and Edward hoped that this was enough help James drop his obsession and move on. As for Tanya, Demitri and Felix had seen her in the company of a man they determined to be named Peter Biers. The two seemed cozy, so Edward hoped that she had finally moved on as well. In reviewing the surveillance shots of Peter, it didn't escape Bella or Edward's notice that he had the same hair cut as Edward, though much blonder. They shuddered at the realization that this was likely the man Tanya had engaged in sex with all over the apartment.

The concert season was going well for Bella, and she had been accepted into the philharmonic openly, clearly earning her place as first chair. Edward attended as many concerts as he could, especially the ones with a social event attached. It didn't escape his notice that despite it being quite clear that he and Bella were in a serious relationship, men still approached Bella when he wasn't around. Demitri gave him shit about his possessive antics, but he couldn't care less. Bella meant the world to him, and he was simply bidding time for it to be acceptable for him to propose. She was it for him. Period.

The hot humid days of summer melded into the crisp atmosphere of autumn as the city's trees started to show their brilliant ruby colored leaves. Bella breathed in the coolish fall air, wrapping her coat around her shoulders as she waited outside of the concert hall for Edward to pick her up. Demitri and Felix stood discreetly behind her keeping watch. The men had become her friends, actually, since she spent so much time with them. Given that neither James nor Tanya had made a peep in over a month, she'd asked Edward about scaling back security, but she was shut down before the question was even out of her mouth. The familiar silver Maserati pulled into the parking lot, its soft engine purr pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Hey beautiful," Edward said as he pulled his girl into his arms before opening the passenger door for her. Feeling delighted as she tipped onto her toes to press her lips to his, he quickly responded and deepened the kiss, causing her to moan into his mouth. The moment rapidly became heated, as it usually did between the two. Just before his hands made contact with her full breasts, Edward remembered their ever-present audience. "Come on, baby, let's go home," he murmured into her ear. After settling her in the car, Edward gave a nod to the guards and headed home with his gorgeous girl.

Entering the apartment, Bella dropped her violin on the couch and turned to Edward, "So honey, Halloween is coming up in a few weeks and Alice told me she always throws a monster of a party," she giggled at his eye roll to her obvious pun, "Anyway, I was wondering what you want to go as..." she trailed off warily at the dubious look in his eyes.

"Sweetheart," he gently responded, pulling Bella into his arms, "I have managed, quite successfully might I add, in avoiding Alice's Halloween extravaganza for the past 10 years – you want me to go now?" Actually, Edward hated the holiday: From what he could tell it was an excuse for little kids to eat too much candy and end up in the ER barfing, and for women to think that dressing like a hoochie-skank is okay. After seeing one too many "slutty nurses" in the hospital for twisted ankles after tripping on their stripper heels it all got kind of old. "You really want a part of that craziness?" he asked.

"Well," Bella answered coyly, pulling Edward to her and wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing lightly along his flesh smirking gratifyingly as his breath became deeper, "I don't know about all the barfing and skanking it up, but I do want to go to a party with my sexy as fuck," she emphasized the last two words with a lick to his jaw, knowing what dirty talk did to him, "Boyfriend, dressed up in a costume that agrees with mine; one that makes it clear who he belongs to." She finished her little seductive diatribe with a thrust of her belly against his already hard cock for good measure. Bella was surprised at this behavior from herself, never believing that she had a sexy-talking bone in her body. Her one attempt at male engagement had been in sophomore year of high school when she asked Michael Newton to the Sadie Hawkins Dance only to have him laugh in her face and then ask the class slut Jessica. However, every time she used her voice, body and lips with Edward, he responded immediately. _Who knew?_ She thought, amused at both the memory and the present.

Temporarily struck dumb via dirty talk and erection rubbing, Edward stuttered an "uh huh," to Bella's costume request and attacked her lips, forcing his tongue into her mouth with enthusiasm. Noting her quick response, the dress quickly left her body at his hands, revealing a sexy red lace bra and panty set that was sheer enough to leave nothing to the imagination. "Fuck baby," he asked breathlessly looking her over, "Are you trying to kill me? Do you know that every man in that concert hall tonight was wondering what you had under that tight little dress? Had they known what I know now, the stage would've been rushed. What are doing wearing shit like this in public when I'm not around? Don't you own any granny panties woman?" He quipped with an underlying dead seriousness, _Fuck; doesn't she know more than half those manwhore assess want her in their beds? _He thought as he removed her bra and panties, tossing them aside.

"Edward," she laughed against his lips, her fingers moving to his belt buckle, "You might be the only man alive who doesn't want his girlfriend dressed in sexy underwear! This stuff is for you, only for you baby, now and ever."

Her words of commitment struck a possessive chord and his pants hit the floor, shirt unbuttoned, his state of dress quickly matching her nakedness. With speed he didn't quite know he possessed, Bella was bent over the back of the sofa, her sweet little pussy completely filled with cock. _Fuck, she's tight, _he thought for the probably hundredth time. He and Bella shared a healthy sexual relationship; sometimes she even woke him during the night to fuck her. He knew that her sexual peak wouldn't even hit for about another ten years and thought electrified and terrified him at the same time. But, his future 43-year-old self thought,_ Bring it on! _He wanted this pussy wrapped around him, and him only damn it, for the rest of his life.

Bella moaned with porn star quality as Edward pounded into her relentlessly. Despite the wonderful feeling of their face-to-face love making sessions, there was something primal and raw when he took her from behind, thrusting with such strength and masculinity.

Nipples responded to his firm squeeze as her pussy began to tingle with the all too familiar feeling of an impending orgasm. "Oh fuck, baby," she cried, "Harder, faster… MORE!"

Spurned on by the delicious sounds of his girl begging, Edward gripped her hips tighter and pounded mercilessly until he felt her walls clamp around him, milking his own orgasm. Cumming with a snarl he kissed up and down her back. "Shit, beautiful, you're going to kill me one of these days."

She giggled as the two parted, cleaned up and snuggled under the soft covers of Edward's bed. Sleepily, she moved deeper into his side, head resting on his chest, "So we both have the day off tomorrow…I was thinking we could go pick out our costumes?"

Edward chuckled, "When did I agree to going with you to the party?" He asked, knowing full well he would go with her, dressed as whatever she chose.

"I mean," she coyly added, "I could find another date…"

Kissing the top of her head he laughed, "You'll do no such thing baby. I am your date, permanently. I think we need our rest," he finished with a kiss to her forehead, "We've got a full day of shopping ahead of us."

*H*S*

"I can't believe you convinced him to come!" Alice squealed into the phone as Bella chatted with her while Edward was taking a break from shopping to check in at work.

"I know, I'm really excited – I've never done the whole adult Halloween thing before," Bella gushed, "I think the last time I dressed up I was twelve or something."

Alice smiled into the phone. She really loved how Bella was bringing out a new side of Edward, and in return he was exposing her to what it was like to have friends and family that would be there for her no matter what. "You'll find something great, I'm sure. Just don't let my brother talk you into something dowdy because he doesn't want guys staring at you all night – I want the two of you looking hot!"

Bella laughed, finishing up her call as Edward walked towards her, "I'm on it, but I've got to run. Bye!" She hung up and greeted her man with a firm kiss on the lips. "Ready for the next stop?" Bella asked as they walked down the street hand in hand.

Upon entering the store, he sighed warily as he watched Bella race towards a rack, grab something and jump into the changing room. _What is she up to now?_

"No, no and no!" Edward put his foot down for the tenth time that day. He had wandered through shop after shop with Bella searching for the perfect costume, within limit. Summarily denied were any doctor/nurse combos – too cheesy and predictable, plus not really dressing up since he actually was a doctor. Other vetoed ideas included Greek god/goddess, as togas were not his thing; Priest/Nun, because recalling Catholic school made him break out in hives; and Adam/Eve, since the flesh colored bikini didn't cover up nearly enough of Bella. _Fuck if assholes would be focused on her tits all night! _

But, the last straw was when Bella strutted out of the small room dressed up as Wonder Woman and threw him a pair of blue tights, singing, "How do you feel about Captain America?"

"I don't do tights baby," he huffed, searching around the costume shop for something that would be kinda normal. Settling on a Harry Potter cape and wand, he held up the items for Bella, "What about this honey? I can wear slacks and a white dress shirt, plus the tie and cape and wand thing and you'll go as that Hermione chick."

Bella grabbed the cute little grey dress with cape and tie. She headed into the dressing room and tried it on, immediately liking what she saw. The dress was certainly fitted, but not skin tight and short enough to be flirty. The neckline showed just the right amount of cleavage, and she had the perfect white knee high socks and stacked heel Mary Janes to complete the look.

"Oh fuck!" Edward breathed when Bella stepped out looking like school girl sin, "I thought the capes were long and didn't that chick wear pants most of the time?" He couldn't believe what he'd just walked into by choosing this costume.

"Uh uh, Edward," Bella shook her finger in his face, "This is the perfect choice!"

_This is going to be an interesting Halloween, _he thought warily. _Fuck my life._

**So, I love reviews – I've learned so much from all of the comments and thoughts, both good and bad. Take just a second to leave me a note; it means a lot!**


	22. Chapter 21

**So, people in general don't really seem to be responding to this story with reviews (I'd love reviews from random readers telling me why so I know what NOT to do next time), but I appreciate so so much those of you that do seem to enjoy it! We've got about 8 or 9 chapters left….**

**I don't own Twilight, but I'm pretty sure I own at least one typo in each chapter, probably more!**

Chapter 21

James slowly paced the living room of his elegant apartment, wondering what to do about the Bella situation. He'd tried everything: Gifts, praise, attention, kindness, even pairing with psychotic-Tanya, but nothing seemed to be enough to lure her away from the fucker that was Edward Cullen. When he thought about Bella his heart swelled with warmth. She was so sweet, so gentle, so beautiful. Maybe making her jealous was the way to go. He got looks from all sorts of inviting looks from various women around town. James stopped suddenly, his Ferragamo loafers scuffing the carpet. _Alice Cullen-Whitlock's annual Halloween party,_ he thought to himself. He knew of a few girls who would have an invitation that he might persuade to take him as their plus-one. Having reviewed the restraining order documents relentlessly, James knew that if he and Bella just happened to be at the same place at the same time without prior knowledge, he just had to leave after spotting her and no charges could be filed. He flipped through his iPhone searching for Elizabeth Crowley – aka desperate chick and satellite friend of Alice. Smirking he dialed he dialed her number. She was certainly no Bella, but she'd work as a means to a very hot end.

"Listen baby, I've got to run, someone's at my door, but I'd love to escort you to the party. I'll pick you up at eight." James hung up and ran to answer the incessant pounding at his door. Opening it to a smiling Tanya, he stated, "What?" His cousin had been a thorn in his side since this whole Bella-Edward debacle had begun and he was ready to just be done with her.

Tanya sashayed into James' perfectly decorated home. "What's up Jamesee?" she asked disingenuously. She had a plan. If James or any of the Cullens for that matter really thought she'd let Edward go that easily they were not as smart as they claimed.

"What do you need Tanya?" He asked sternly, "I'm busy." James didn't want to let her in on the make-Bella-jealous plan; secretly he hoped that his cousin had started to fall for Peter, and that she'd finally let go of Edward. _What does she see in that ass clown anyway? It can't be money, our family is plenty rich…_He was broken out of his thoughts by Tanya's nerve-grating voice.

"How's it going with planning that romantic getaway for you and Bella?" She knowingly taunted him. The only way he was going to get Bella alone was to kidnap her. Which was fine, he just needed a push in that direction.

"Tanya," he glared at her. "You and I both know she's not going anywhere with me as long as Edward is around. Plus, I've got a date to Alice's Halloween party – maybe if Bella sees me with someone else she'll come to me for once." Saying it out loud made him feel more confident of the plan.

Laughing inwardly, she turned with a serious face to her delusional cousin, "Make her jealous? That might work actually. It's a good first step anyway. But what about taking her, you know, once you get her alone?"

James frowned. He didn't want to take Bella against her will. He loved her and wanted her to join him on her own. "I don't want harm or scare her Tanya. Kidnapping her would do both."

Tanya sighed, grabbing her phone and pulling up her email. Flashing James the screen she stated calmly, "I know what you've been up to," she smirked as his face transformed into a look of horror. Holding up her hand to shut off his outrage she continued, "You are a naughty little peeper James. I don't blame you though; Bella is a hot piece of ass. Too bad Edward got all prudy. In the old days I would have totally joined in on that action. Anyway," she waved her hand nonchalantly, "I also know that one piece of evidence that makes you out to be a stalker – such as peeping – will push you into felony territory. If that happens you will lose everything, including your precious Bella."

James sighed, knowing the power in this twisted dynamic was no longer his. Warily he questioned, "What do you want?"

"I want you to take Bella away and get her out of my hair and Edward's life. It's a win-win: You'll get Bella alone and explain things, and I'll have open access to a heartbroken Edward who'll need a flame from his past to heal him. So, you'll grab her after the party, and that's that."

Thinking quickly had always been a strong suit for the young doctor. He knew that if he kidnapped Bella, things between them would never work out. She would hate him forever. However, if he could manipulate a situation, if he could make her come to him for some reason, then maybe she would stay him on her own. A plan swiftly formed in his mind. Tanya was right. Kidnapping was a good idea; it's just that Bella wouldn't be the victim.

"Tanya, honey," he beamed, "I've got a plan. We will kidnap someone, someone that will make all of the Cullens take notice, someone that has had it coming for awhile – according to you anyway - and someone that, when we as anonymous kidnappers ask for Bella's help, she'll come willingly just like I need her to do."

_Finally, _Tanya thought excitedly, _His brain has proven to be good for something._ Smiling, she responded, "I love it James! And, I know just who you mean."

*H*S*

Bella turned around in the mirror once more, making sure her hair looked okay from all angles and that her make up was perfect before heading out to slip on her costume over the black lacy bra and panties she had chosen for the night. The knee high sheer white socks looked cute, so she walked into the bedroom to grab her dress and shoes. "Oomph," she uttered as she ran into Edward's chest on her way through the door.

Gazing down at the little beauty in his arms, Edward was instantly hard. _What is she doing prancing around like that?_ He thought. "Baby, you look like a wet dream – what are you doing?"

"I'm finishing getting ready for tonight. Let me look at you." She pulled back, her finger on her chin checking him over. Tight dress slacks slung low on his hips, pressed button down shirt, while the customary tie and cape over his shoulders completed the look. The piece de resistance, though, were the spectacles perched on his nose. "You are perfect," she purred, pushing her body up against him to kiss his jaw, "I love it."

Grabbing her naked hips he pushed his erection against her soft belly. His hand traveled across her full breasts, dipping his fingers below the lace edge of her bra to tweak her nipples. He smirked at her half hearted attempts to push him away as he made his way down her stomach and underneath her panties to flick her clit.

"Baby," she breathed, "We don't have time for this. I don't want to get you all messed up, you look so perfect."

"_I'm_ not going to get messy," he responded cheekily kissing up and down her slender neck. He continued his ministrations on her lower opening, bringing her to orgasm quickly. Loving how she felt slumped against him, he allowed her to recover before turning her gently towards the bathroom. "Now, go get cleaned up and I'll be waiting in the family room. Demitri and Felix are out there, so be fully ready – and clothed." With a light slap on her ass he chuckled as she nodded a bit incoherently before moving away.

Alice had totally outdone herself this year. The large French Country style home she shared with Jasper looked like an authentic haunted house from the realm of imagination. Snuggling into Edward's side as they approached the walkway, Bella commented that Alice didn't do anything half way. Edward nodded in agreement as they entered the room full of goblins, ghosts and the occasional aforementioned "slutty nurse."

Bella giggled as she passed by a caterer dressed like a monster, while Edward rolled his eyes. A squeal erupted when Alice entered the room with Jasper and Emmett in tow, Rose trailing slightly behind. Bella's eyes widened taking in the group: Alice and Jasper were dressed as 1920s style gangsters, while Emmett and Rose looked absolutely perfect as a very sexy Alice in Wonderland with her Mad Hatter.

"You are the hottest Hermione I've ever seen!" Emmett exclaimed, pulling Bella into bear hug. She laughed complementing everyone's costumes before moving towards the bar with the girls. She needed a glass of champagne, and she needed it now!

Edward grinned as his brothers, "Nice costume Jasper, at least a gangster isn't totally lame," he glanced at Emmett, "The Mad Hatter, huh? How'd you get roped into that?" Emmett scoffed with a tip of his top hat and they followed the girls to the bar where they were already sipping champagne. The guys joined in, the group feeling light hearted and just plan happy for the first time in a long while.

The night progressed quickly, with dancing, drinking and plain old fun. At one point Edward was on the formal living room-turned-dance-floor with Bella's little body pleasantly grinding against his. The music was perfect and he was just the right amount tipsy when he spotted an old friend of Alice's, Elizabeth Crowley, with a man dressed as Zoro in tow. He seemed familiar somehow, but the mask, plus alcohol allowed Edward to let it go and focus back on his beautiful girl.

James smiled, taking in the room around him. Alice Cullen-Whitlock sure did know how to throw a party, and his idea to go as Zoro was the perfect way to attend without issue. Watching Bella with Edward was painful, but if jealously was the first step in his plan, this date with Elizabeth was important so he focused on her. The only other women he even paid attention to was the blond dressed as Alice in Wonderland. Her hair swayed as she danced with her clownish husband, looking lovely as her short skirt revealed long shapely legs. Mrs. Emmett Cullen was proving to be more than just a vital part of his plan; she was proving to be quite tempting as well in her own way. _This plan has definite possibilities_, James thought, _The perfect pair might be a current and seemingly future Mrs. Cullen. Yes, definite possibilities. _

*H*S*

The week after the party passed peacefully. The month of October closed without incident and the Cullen family reveled in a pretty peaceful existence. One random weekday night in early November, Edward and Bella headed hand-in-hand towards their favorite little bistro down the street from her apartment. Sighing happily as Edward nuzzled her neck, whispering naughty things about what he was really hungry for, Bella slapped him. "Don't cause a scene, Edward! We still have our little audience and you're going to embarrass me," she teased.

Edward rolled his eyes and sucked her neck into his mouth, releasing it with a dramatic pop. He was quite sure that nothing he could do to Bella at this point short of public indecency would be something that Demitri and Felix hadn't seen from the couple before. In fact, Edward was pretty damn proud of his ability to respectfully make sure that every asshole in the area knew that Bella was his. He tisked her sweetly while guiding her gently into the restaurant. Approaching the podium to check on their reservation, he immediately felt that sense of being watched that his girl had mentioned time and time again. Holding her tightly to his side he headed towards the bar as the hostess had directed.

Noticing the increase in his grip, Bella looked up at him questioningly, "What's up baby?"

"I don't know sweetheart," he responded, motioning Demitri over, "I just feel like something here isn't right." As he completed his statement Demitri visibly tensed next to him, and nudged Edward to look left. There, sitting at a table were Tanya, Peter, James, and the woman Elizabeth that had been at Alice's party. _Zoro was James. Fuck!_

Unfortunately, his glance led to eye contact with Tanya, who returned his gaze. She stood and walked directly to the group with James hot on her heels. As she neared, Bella gasped and snuggled deeply into Edward's side, practically behind him at this point. Demitri kept an eye on James, and Felix had his phone out, ready to call the police.

"What do you want Tanya," Edward coolly asked, "And, should we leave or will you and your guests be the ones to go?"

James spoke up, looking directly at Bella, but responding to Edward, "I've wanted to bring Elizabeth here for quite awhile. She's been dying to try it and I would do anything to make her night," he looked knowingly at Bella, searching for a reaction. "Perhaps we can sit in the upstairs area, if that makes you more comfortable."

"Oh please Edward," Tanya stated flippantly, "James and I are here with our own significant others. Can you and your little girlfriend please get over it already and move on? We'll sit up in the lounge, you stay down here and everyone can enjoy their night okay?"

Edward huffed, "Fine, why don't you head up there now then?" The pair walked away and he immediately spun to face Bella, cradling her face in his hands, "Are you okay with this?"

She sighed, "Yeah, I mean they both seem pretty happy. Elizabeth is very pretty, maybe James has finally moved on," she added hopefully. She noticed that Edward exchanged dubious looks with the guards, but decided to ignore it and ask him about it later. They headed towards their table and quickly ordered drinks; strong ones.

*H*S*

On the way home, Edward and Bella chatted amicably with Demitri and Felix about the peculiar events of the evening. Though the Hunter group had not made contact with them again, it escaped no one's notice that James gave their table a pointed look on his way out with an exaggerated kiss to his date's cheek.

"Demitri," Bella asked hesitantly as the group entered the foyer of her building, "Do you think that James has moved on and we can finally start to put all of this behind us? I know that some of his behavior tonight was for show, but his date is a very beautiful woman; maybe he really likes her."

Edward pulled Bella's back flush with his chest, sighing against the top of her head, waiting for Demitri's response. He knew in his heart this was just a ploy and that the more disturbing detail was that the group even knew where they were dining in the first place.

"Bella," Demitri responded gently, "I think tonight was total set-up. There was no chance that them being there was coincidence, just as there is no chance that he cares one bit about that woman. We know for a fact by our investigation that Peter is being paid by Tanya and James, so there's no chance he really cares for her either. They were trying to see if you and Edward would be jealous."

Felix piped in at that moment, "This development actually makes me nervous," he stated quietly. Unlike the boisterous and sometime flirtatious Demitri, Felix spoke rarely, but when he did it was usually quite meaningful. Clearing his throat he continued, "I think that James is becoming desperate. He's trying to push you Bella, to show you how desirable he is to other women. I'm afraid that since you didn't react he may actually become dangerous."

"What are you suggesting Felix?" Edward roared, causing the nearby doorman to jump, "Should she react and make him think something? That she cares for him? That she is actually jealous?"

Felix took a step back from the irate man. "No, Edward," he calmly responded, "I am not suggesting that Bella contact James. I am merely stating that tonight we saw a shift in his behavior. I know you don't like the man, but please don't under estimate him. From our research we have discovered that Dr. Hunter is smart, attractive and rich – these three factors make him quite dangerous. People will naturally respond to him and give him information because of his persona. I am very worried that the desperation is escalating by including Miss Crowley in his schemes. It reveals that he is reaching the end of his rope and we all need to be prepared for what may happen next."

Edward pulled Bella closer, squeezing her as tightly as she forced him to move towards the elevator. The words out of her mouth broke his heart, "I'm scared," she breathed almost inaudibly.

"Don't be," he reassured her. "I'll kill him before I let anything happen to you."

The quartet moved towards the apartment, Edward and Bella settling into the bedroom while Demitri and Felix set up camp into the family room for the night. The atmosphere of the night had changed dramatically from jovial to terrified. Demitri watched the couple as they retreated into their room. Turning to Felix he stated, "I hope that you really meant what you said back there – I don't this is going to get better anytime soon."

"No," Felix stated solemnly, "No, it's not."

**Please let me know what you think…it means the world to me, really. **


	23. Chapter 22

**Wow! Thank you so much to Liverbrd23 who said such wonderful things about my story on ADF! Too sweet. I love how many of you have added this story to alerts and favs – it really makes my day each and every time I get an email notification. The reviews are also great. I really appreciate them all. The good ones warm my heart and the ones with constructive criticism make me think and work harder - thank you for both types.**

**I own nothing related to Twilight, but I do own a few errors, I'm sure!**

Chapter 22

Early morning light shone through the windows, streaming across Edward's bronze locks as he slept. Bella turned on her side gazing at his beautiful peaceful face. So much had happened in the last six months. Graduating school, moving to a new city and the symphony had all been wonderful. Of course meeting Edward, whom she truly believed to be the love of her life, was the most important of recent events. However, feelings of guilt crept into her heart at times, thinking about the worry and pain she inadvertently brought to the Cullen family due to James. However, on a logical level she knew that the current mess was not her fault; she was not the delusional one. The incident last night was proof of that. James' pathetic attempt to make jealous showed a whole new level of crazy from the man that was sadly not unexpected.

"If you didn't look like you were thinking so hard about anything but me I might accuse you of being a creeper for watching me sleep," Edward teased his beautiful girl playfully, his voice still raspy from sleep. When she didn't respond to his flirtation per usual, he became immediately worried. Pulling her body close to him, purposely ignoring bare little nipples pebbling against his chest, he asked softly, "What's wrong baby?"

"Nothing really," she responded, wrapping her arms around his neck and shifting up a bit to look directly into his green eyes. "I just was thinking that so much has happened to me since leaving New York. The job, meeting you, dealing with James and Tanya – it's a lot to take in so quickly, you know?" She sighed, continuing, "I worry what would've happened to me with James if I didn't have you, but…" Bella trailed off.

Edward looked at her skeptically, urging her to continue. He held his breathe as she spoke about her worries that she had brought pain and drama into the life of his family, and though she loved him more than anything, there was always that fear that he would wake up one day and realize she wasn't worth it.

"Bella," Edward addressed her quietly, "This shit storm is not your fault. I am willing to bet money that James does have some level of feeling for you, but it is Tanya's obsession with me and maybe still Emmett that has fueled his fire to this level. She would be acting this way whether you were in my life or not – involving James was just an added bonus for her, as is tormenting you." He paused, pulling Bella up to straddle his hips, pressing her into his chest and kissing the top of her head. "Baby," he finished, "You are the most important thing to me now, the most important thing to me ever. I will never regret meeting you and loving you – do not let their craziness hurt what we have. Please."

The look in his eyes was fierce, allowing Bella to acquiesce at his words. Melting into him, she replied, "Okay. I'm sorry, my thoughts have been going there for the past week if I allow them to, but you're right - I love you, so much." She kissed him deeply, her body responding as he ran his hands up and down her naked back. The kiss quickly escalated into moans of pleasure as Bella pulled herself up balancing on Edward's chest before sliding back down on his erection, his cock filling her fully. She usually wasn't this forward when it came to sex, but she loved the gasp of shock that left his mouth at the suddenness of her actions. Rocking her hips forward gently she sighed at the intensity of pleasure.

"_Fuck,_" Edward groaned as his beautiful girl rode him gently, lovingly, solidifying the fact that, despite the issues swirling around them, _this_, the love and commitment they shared was real.

After showering together, unwilling to be apart until they had to, the couple met Demitri at the front door so he could drive Bella to work while Edward made his way to the hospital. Kissing the top of her head, Edward reminded Bella of his love for her, with the ever present warning to stay safe.

*H*S*

Entering the hospital, Edward quickly shifted modes and began anticipating his cases for the day. The ER was usually fairly quiet this time of year. Halloween injuries had been treated and the Thanksgiving/Christmas/Winter-in-general issues had not quite picked up yet.

"Hi Dr. Cullen," Kate the head nurse welcomed him warmly as he entered the station. Kate was one of the best nurses Edward had come across since finishing his residency. She was an extremely attractive woman in her mid-thirties who also happened to act totally professionally and proficiently on a consistent basis. Her husband Garrett worked in hospital administration and had also become a good friend to all of the Cullens over the years.

"Whatcha got going on for me today?" Edward asked, looking up at the white board.

"I'll tell you in just a sec, but first," Kate glared at him only semi-seriously, "How's that beautiful girl of yours?" She and Bella had met quite a few times at various functions and they had hit it off quite well.

Unable to hide his grin at the mention of his beautiful Bella, Edward answered, "She's great. The new Christmas concert series will start soon and she's busy getting ready," he gushed.

Kate smiled, handing him a stack of charts. She was so happy to see Edward finally find such a wonderful girl. "Get to it," she scoffed, "The other Dr. Cullen is already ahead of you!" She loved fostering competition between the brothers; it made them crazy, which made her day fun.

"Oh hell no," Edward grabbed his charts and rushed off, eager to start his long day.

After a few hours of sutures, stomach aches and the occasional broken bone, Edward finally caught up with Emmett and the two sat down to lunch with Jasper.

"So," Jasper asked nonchalantly, "What's new?" Edward took a deep breath and began telling the men about dinner the previous night, and running into James and Tanya. He recalled in detail the pathetic attempts to make it seem like they had moved on with new partners. He added the bit about seeing Elizabeth Crowley at the Halloween party with her masked date, whom he was now positive was James.

Jasper listened quietly. "This enters a whole new level of crazy," responded thoughtfully. "I don't like it. James is getting bolder in his attempts to get close to Bella – it's as though he'd do anything just to get a reaction out of her at this point." 

Emmett nodded in agreement, "There is no way they would coincidentally show up at the same restaurant on the same night and time as you and Bella. They must still be tailing you. Aren't Demitri and Felix keeping an eye out?" Emmett knew that the guards in all actuality were a great security company, but that didn't mean they couldn't make errors.

"I spoke with them about it and they are watching. They've only seen Peter lurking about here and there, and they hadn't seen him at all that day," Edward sighed, "I don't know how this can end well. What if James tries to hurt her once he realizes she doesn't care who he dates? His delusional world is going to come crashing down at some point, and I'm really afraid of the fallout when it does."

The men nodded solemnly, finishing their lunch in silence, wondering how this would all end.

*H*S*

As November trudged ahead, Bella started to realize the despite New York's harsh climate, the Chicago wind-chill required her to update her winter wardrobe. With that in mind, her and Rosalie were out and about shopping and just enjoying each other's company, with of course, Demitri in tow.

"Hmm," Rose eyed Bella in knee length sweater dress and tall brown boots, "I like it. It looks good on you without being overwhelming. You should get it." She turned to Demitri, who was astutely ignoring them while scanning the store, "What do you think Dem?" She teased. Now that Rose was sort of used to his chiseled good looks, she didn't mind good naturedly pestering Demitri occasionally, though she refrained from doing so with Emmett around since it really seemed to piss him off, which of course she secretly enjoyed. _I know that's mean, but the rewards are so good when he's jealous,_ she inwardly smiled.

Looking at Bella quickly he waved her off, "It looks fine," he answered blandly before turning back to his job. He liked Rose and Bella, but had rapidly learned that anything drawing his attention to how Bella looked was a bad idea for his thought process, so he remained as coolly detached as possible. Besides, something was off today. Nothing had happened, he hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary, but he could feel it in his bones that the atmosphere around the women had shifted. Not wanting to scare them for no reason, he dutifully followed them around on their errands, staying vigilant through endless dressing room stops and a light lunch.

As the day moved on, Demitri found himself hovering closer and closer to Bella, the mood around them still bothering him. He placed a call into Felix to check out Edward's apartment, since that's where the couple had been staying lately. While the girls were trying on more clothes, he spoke discreetly into his cell just outside the changing rooms, "Yeah," he told Felix, "I'm keeping a close eye on Bella. I just can't shake the feeling that someone is watching her." He listened as Felix suggested that it was time to wrap up and bring Bella back to the apartment where they could secure her until Edward returned home from work later that night. It was getting dark, which made Demitri's job more difficult in the middle of a busy city.

When Bell and Rose returned, Demitri turned to them seriously, "All right," he said sternly, not wanting to alert Bella to the potential danger, but needing her to listen, "It's getting late and it will be dark soon. Are you two about done?"

Noticing that his demeanor was more serious than usual, Bella nodded in agreement, "Sure, let's go with Rose to get her car and then we can leave. I'm tired anyway." Rose agreed and the group headed out of the shopping tower and patiently waited for the valet to bring the cars. Once Rose was safely in her car and on the way, Bella turned to Demitri, "What's going on?"

"Nothing really," he answered somewhat honestly, "I just had a weird feeling and wanted to get you back to the apartment." He left it at that. Bella nodded as their car pulled up and Demitri opened the passenger door for before heading to the driver side. He hit the gas, feeling the sudden urge to get Bella home even more quickly than before.

*H*S*

Rose headed off into the dusk, city lights twinkling as her black Mercedes sped through the night. She and Emmett lived in a beautiful Tuscan style home just north of the city near the lake. The landscape began to change a bit from tightly packed buildings to the more sparse surroundings of the Chicago suburb. Rose had been having such a nice day with Bella. She truly loved the little brunette, and couldn't wait for the day when she would get the title of sister-in-law. Rose knew that Edward would propose. Hell, he probably already had a ring and was just waiting for the right time. _He probably won't wait much longer. He's always been kind of impatient, _she through wryly.

Rose was brought out of her musings by a small dinging noise from the dash alerting her that the car needed gas. Pulling over to the nearest station, which was on a small side street not to far from home, Rose got out of the car and started filling her tank. Swiping her card through the credit slot, she groaned when the machine beeped back that payment inside was required. Cursing the stupid magnetic strip that always seemed to malfunction, she dutifully ran inside to pay.

Once settled, Rose headed out into the deserted street where she turned left to take the side path home and avoid the main thorough fare, which would be clogging up with rush hour traffic soon. At a stop light, something dark flashed in her rearview mirror. Rose heard the rustling from her back seat before she felt the pain on the side of her head, and then everything went to black.

**Well, there you have it! The drama picks up now for the next few chapters…We'll see what happens… Please please please review and let me know what you think – it makes me smile.**


	24. Chapter 23

**So, this chapter is kinda short, but action-packed! I gotta say, I was kinda de-motivated by my lack of reviews, so I switched over to start on my new story (which I won't post until this one is done – two stories is way too much for me!) Anyway, throw a girl some love, or hate, or indifference. I appreciate it all! Chapter 24 will be out this weekend. I will post a pic tease over at fictionaters for chapter 25, so go check it out next week!**

**I don't own anything related to Twilight except my typos…**

Chapter 23

Edward rushed through the apartment door and pulled Bella into his arms tightly, rubbing his hands up and down her back, pressing gentle kisses to the top of her head. The motions didn't contain the usual sexual energy that flowed between the pair. This was Edward reassuring himself that his girl was safe, whole, and in his arms where she belonged. Demitri's call had scared the hell out of him quite frankly, and he rushed home to see Bella with his own two eyes. "Baby," he whispered breathlessly, "What happened?"

Demitri stepped in, explaining to them both more about the strange feeling he'd had all day. "Nothing actually happened," he reported calmly, "I didn't see anyone or anything out of the ordinary. My gut instincts told me something was off and I decided to act and bring her home before it got too dark."

Edward nodded, glad that he had chosen this firm and these men to guard Bella. "What do you think is going on?" he asked seriously, still not releasing Bella from his grip.

"I'm not sure -"

Demitri's statement was interrupted by the shrill ring of Bella's cell. Moving away from Edward she looked at it questioningly seeing Emmett's name on the caller ID. "Hello," she answered, it wasn't necessarily odd that he would be calling; she just usually didn't talk to Emmett on the phone, "What's up Em?"

Edward and Demitri watched her carefully as she listened to Emmett ask if Rose was still with her. Dread began to fill her body and she shakily moved to the couch, "No, she left right before me and Demitri. She should have been home by now."

The men shared a look and Demitri motioned for Bella to switch to speaker phone. Emmett's panicked voice filled the air, "What do you mean she left before you? She would've been home. Her cell is going to straight to voicemail."

Demitri responded as calmly as he could, "Emmett, it's me, Demitri. Can you come over to Edward's please? I think we need to take this seriously. Something was off today when I was out with the girls, but my hunch was that that Bella was the focus."

"What the fuck?" Emmett roared through the phone. "If something was going on why didn't you call me? I would've come and picked up Rosalie myself you stupid piece of shit! If something happened to her I'm going to kill you!"

Demitri took the man's wrath, guilt creeping into his heart. Emmett was right; his focus had been on keeping Bella safe, not considering that Rose might be in danger too. "I understand Emmett, I am so sorry. For now, please, just get over here. I'll send Felix right now to drive the route from where we were shopping to your home. Maybe she simply made a stop along the way. Keep trying to call her."

Hearing the phone go silent as Emmett made his way over, Bella sobbed softly into Edward's chest, "This is my entire fault! If I wasn't involved with you the whole Tanya and James thing wouldn't have happened. If they are hurting Rose to get to me I'll have to go, no questions asked."

Both Demitri gasped and Edward tightened his hold on Bella, hauling her over to the couch and into his lap, "IF Rose even is missing, and IF James and Tanya are implicated, you are not to be involved," he stated firmly. "I will not have you placed in harm's way; don't test me on this. I'll have Demitri chain you to a chair if I have to." He knew that last part would piss Bella off, but he meant it. Over his corpse was she going to be the one to deal with whatever the hell was going on with Rose.

Suddenly Emmett barreled through the front door with Felix hot on his heels. He turned towards the room, a look rage coloring his features. "Someone tell me something now!" He roared, causing Bella to flinch into Edward, which earned Emmett a glare.

Felix cleared his throat, garnering the attention of the room. "I have some news," he announced solemnly. Everyone turned their eyes towards him as he continued, "On my en route I found Rose's Mercedes. It was empty, with her cell and purse in the back. And," he sighed, "There was blood on the driver's seat headrest. I'm so sorry Emmett."

The room stilled the silence deafening. Finally Edward spoke, taking over where his brother clearly could not, "What's our next step?"

Demitri and Felix sprung up immediately. They spoke, almost in unison, "We call our FBI contacts and make this official – now. Also, finding out where James, Tanya and Peter are is key."

It seemed within seconds the room activated and Emmett exploded in a fury of words and actions. Demitri called in his FBI contact, Riley Scott, and Edward's living room was transformed into an operation center more quickly than anyone could've thought possible. Speaker phones, computer tracking devices, and the whole Cullen clan were gathered within what seemed like moments. Emmett was settled in a chair near the closest computer and phone, his head in his hands.

Edward, though saddened by the turn of events, was glad that Bella was safe in his arms.

*H*S*

Carlisle Cullen's heart broke for his son Emmett. Rose was an integral part of their family and the thought of her hurt left an ache deep inside his soul. For the better part of the past six hours his family had worked with the FBI to recreate every detail of James' stalking Bella and Tanya's obsession with Edward in order to figure out when the choice to involve Rose came into play.

Riley poured through the files, asking again about the night that James approached the girls in the bar. Bella and Alice reiterated his focus on Rose, and his refusal to let her go. They also noted his offer for a threesome was clearly himself, Bella and Rose. Edward and Emmett growled when this was revealed, Edward pulling Bella back into his lap. Riley noted to himself how the young doctor never let the little brunette out of his sight or far from his touch. _This could prove to be troublesome, _he thought, because his hunch was that though the kidnapper may want Rose, he clearly wants Bella more. There was no way that Edward was going to let her leave this apartment without a fight. This he knew for certain.

The agents had spent some time throughout the night training the family how to deal with the first contact from the taker, most likely a ransom note or call that would come at some point. They were to give no details, no feelings, and certainly not offer Bella as a trade in any way, shape or form. The other main goal was to get Rose on the phone, as her voice was the only way to know that she was still alive. The Cullen family had of course agreed that any amount of ransom would be paid without a second thought; having Rose home safely was all that mattered to any of them. News on the whereabouts of James, Tanya, and Peter also weighed heavily on the minds of everyone in the group: None of the sick trio had been located all night.

The shrill ringing of Emmett's cell phone broke through Riley's thoughts and the group's solemn countenance shifted to anticipatory as Demitri gestured towards the large man to answer. All the mobiles and home phone were already connected to the speaker and computer tracing systems, so Emmett answered the blocked caller readily, "Hello?" he stuttered into the phone.

An eerie automated voice responded, "I want to talk to Bella and Bella only." Edward started to speak as Riley and Demitri motioned him to silence and gestured for Emmett to query.

"Why?" Emmett answered with surprising calm, "What does Bella have to do with Rose? If you want money, I'll give it to you. Just give me back my wife unharmed." Though his voice was serene, his stance was anything but: Tensed jaw and clenched fists, ready to kill.

"No no no Dr. Cullen," the crackling of the computer animated voice replied, "I said get me Bella on the line, and do it now. I'll talk with no one else." Emmett shot a distraught look at his brother, who was holding his girl tightly. _Please,_ he thought, _go along with this._

Riley motioned Bella forward. As she moved towards the phone, Edward's grasp did not loosen around her small waist. Speaking softly, but with purpose, Bella began, "Hello. First of all, can I please speak to Rose? I'm so upset by not knowing if she's okay."

Demitri gave the pretty young woman a thumb's up. She instinctively knew that this man, if it wasn't James personally, was instructed to keep her happy and would respond to such a request. Edward looked in his direction, certainly noticing the look of admiration, stifling a scowl. The small crush the bodyguard harbored on his charge was getting more and more difficult to conceal, but he would continue to stifle it: This beautiful woman was enamored beyond belief with Edward, no doubt about it. With that final thought he turned his attention back to the matter at hand.

"Bella, baby," the voice answered, "Of course you may speak with Rose. I never want you to be sad. Just a sec, honey, I'll get her."

Edward's grip became almost painful as the group waited. Bella stroked his arms, alerting him of that fact and he loosened up, albeit only slightly.

Suddenly Rose's slurred voice filled the air, "Bella?" she asked, "He said I could talk to you. When is Emmett coming to get me?"

Emmett's choked sob was muffled by Carlisle's shoulder as he hugged his son close. The pain for all involved was reaching a height that no one could take much longer.

Bella stated clearly, confidently, "Rose, we are coming as soon as we can. What do you see? Where are you?"

"Bella," she breathed, "I see stars and trees tops…I'm in a cabin, he's given me a bed -" her voice abruptly stopped when the computer disguised voice returned.

The crackling animated man came back over the line, "I want five hundred thousand dollars. I want Bella to deliver the cash to a location of my choosing that I will text to her phone. She will come alone. She will not be followed or accompanied by anyone. Once I have the money, I will give you Mrs. Cullen. If there are any tricks I will kill her. Do you understand?"

Before Edward could stop her, Bella answered, "Yes, I understand. Please, tell me what to do, where to go, and when to be there. I'll do it." An eerie chuckle of agreement ended the call.

The room exploded at once with Edward's voice louder than them all, "What were you thinking Baby? How could you agree to that?"

Emmett responded just as loudly, "What do you mean asshole?" he shouted at his brother, "She did so well! Rosie is alive and now we know how to get her back! Five hundred thousand is chump change! Bella will be safe. We'll pay this guy and get my wife back!"

Before Edward could lunge and choke the naïveté right out his brother, Riley stepped in. "Let's think about this guys. We of course will follow Bella from a distance. Her car has a GPS, as does her phone, so it will be easy to trail her undetected," hearing Edward's growl of disapproval, Riley continued facing him directly, "We have to do this. Rose's ability to note her surroundings suggests that she is drugged, but not blindfolded. She knows what her kidnapper looks like. He will kill her if we don't comply."

Emmett broke down at that statement, begging Edward, "Please, man, let Riley and the team handle this. I can't lose her, I won't."

Bella answered for him, "Em, Rose is my sister in every sense. Get the cash and I will go. End of story." Her voice held a finality that even Edward knew not to cross.

"Fine," Edward stated, "But I want to be in the car that tracks her. That is my non negotiable."

Riley and Demitri nodded. "So," Riley asked, "How quickly can we get five hundred K in cash over here?"

Carlisle hung up his phone and turned towards the agent, "It's on the way as we speak. Get my daughter-in-law back without harming a hair on my future daughter-in-law's head. This ends and it ends tonight."

**Wow – go Carlisle! Please, please review. I was kinda sad last week…so many hits and visitors and so few new reviews….**


	25. Chapter 24

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews, alerts, and favs. I really appreciate all of you that take the time to comment – it means a great deal to me.**

**As usual, I don't own Twilight. But I probably own at least one grammatical error… and some typos. Sorry. **

Chapter 24

Waiting for the return call from Rose's captor was true hell. The phones sat idly by while Riley, Demitri and Felix kept in constant contact with the field officers looking for Peter and the Hunters. The ring tone of Demitri's phone rang through the silence. "Hello," he answered gruffly, "Uh uh. I see. Keep him down there and start questioning."

The large man turned to the expectant group, "Peter turned himself in. He's downtown with the FBI office there, telling them what he knows. Apparently Tanya and James fired him last week and now he's a bit bitter…But," Demitri put his hand up to silence the questions forming on everyone's lips, "He claims to know nothing about the kidnapping plans. However, he did say that Tanya was pushing James over the deep end, threatening to turn him in for stalking Bella. Apparently she found some, um, intimate videos of Bella and Edward that he had taken with his phone at some point-"

"What the fuck!" Edward roared, "He taped us in private moments? What did that asshole Peter say?" He tightened his hold on Bella, feeling her shake in his arms. He could kick himself for not being more careful with her privacy. There were only a handful of instances that the couple had messed around in not totally private places; and of course Edward instigated it every time. "I'm so sorry baby," he breathed into her hair.

Nodding, and swallowing utter humiliation at thought that James, and possibly Peter had seen her naked, Bella spoke up, "Do we know anything else?"

Before Demitri could respond Emmett's cell phone rang loud and clear. He answered immediately with a frantic 'Hello.'

"I want to talk to Bella," the monotone animated voice echoed through the air, "I will only talk with her. Same as last time", he taunted. "For a group of doctors you all are pretty stupid. Which part of I will only talk with my baby don't you understand?"

Bella stepped up to the phone, while Demitri shoved a note pad in her face with instructions to ask for Rose before anything else. "It's me," she stuttered slightly, "I want to talk to Rose."

"Hmm…" the voice crackled, "I love hearing you tell me about your wants baby. I don't like to hear you so sad. Would Rose's voice make my sweetheart happy?"

Squelching down the vomit rising in her throat at his terms of endearment and squeezing Edward's hand for support, she responded sweetly, "Yes, your baby would be very happy to know that Rose is okay. Just like last time we spoke. I loved how you allowed me to hear her voice." Bella looked to Felix, who nodded in agreement with her choice to play along.

"Bella?" Rose's gentle but still slightly slurred voice floated through the air. Emmett lunged towards the phones, but Demitri forcefully held him back. She continued, "I'm okay. I just can't seem to focus on where I am. It's so dark…."

"There honey, you know she's okay. Are you happier now?" The taker's eerie tone took them by surprise as he cut Rose off quickly.

"Yes. Thank you," Bella sank into Edward's chest fighting off the sobs racking through her small frame.

"Now," the kidnapper's voice became serious and business like as he ticked off his demands. "About the money. Only Bella touches the money. Only Bella makes the drop. If she is wired, or if you use a look alike, I will kill Rose. Bella will get in her car and drive to where I dictate. She will be alone – no air or car surveillance will be tolerated. I will call Bella's cell and give her instructions as she drives. She will make the drop at exactly 3 AM and I will produce Rose once I get the cash." With finality he hung up as the line went dead.

The room exploded, with Edward screaming that no way in hell was Bella doing this, as Emmett was held down by Carlisle and Jasper while trying to strangle his brother for being what he deemed "a selfish pig headed bastard." Getting directly in her irate boyfriend's face, Bella placed her small hands on his cheek, whispering for him to calm down.

"She has to go Edward!" Emmett yelled, pushing against Jasper's hold and moving into his brother's line of sight, "He will kill Rosie if she doesn't – he said so himself! I won't lose her. You know I love Bella like a sister but you've known her six months; she is not a Cullen. Rose has been the love of my life for over 20 years. Please, don't hold Bella back from making whatever choice she thinks is best."

The room stilled as the words left Emmett's mouth. While it stung, Bella knew Emmett was right: Rosalie was a part of this family, she was not. As she contemplated what to say, the usually quiet Esme stepped up and stood between her two sons, placing a hand on each of their chests, "Edward," she spoke to him softly, "Please understand the terror your brother is going through. Imagine if the situation were reversed; wouldn't you be demanding the same of Rose?"

"Apparently not," Edward sneered, the only thing keeping him from kicking the shit out of his brother was his mother standing in the way. "After all," he continued, "We barely know Bella right Emmett? She's not a Cullen yet so she's disposable, yeah?"

Emmett sighed, leaning into his mother's soft touch, "I didn't mean it like that Edward. Hell, I believed Rosie was it for me after one week of knowing her. Of course Bella is important to you. I'm just out of my mind over here. And really, the choice is Bella's; she's a grown woman who can make her decisions. She doesn't belong to you."

"The hell she doesn't," Edward growled in response. Bella _did_ belong to him, just as he belonged to her. He would do anything to keep her out of harm's way.

Riley stepped in before the men neared blows again. "She goes," he stated with finality, "But she won't be alone. We have an unmarked car with tinted windows. Demitri and I will follow from a distance and be in the vicinity when she makes the drop. She will also wear a small GPS device on her person. She needs to get the money in the bags and get ready."

Bella wrapped her arms around Edward's waist, his tension rolling through her in waves. "I _will_ be okay, sweetheart," she said shakily, "But I have to go. Please understand."

Edward nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. He turned holding Bella in his arms, tucking her head under his chin. Speaking directly to Riley he practically barked, "I'm going with you and Demitri when you follow Bella. I won't ever whole heartedly agree to her choice, but I love her and will be there to make sure that she is safe."

They nodded and Emmett shot him a look of thanks. "Don't, Emmett," Edward glared at him, "I cannot believe you dismissed Bella's role in my life. She is the only woman I have ever, will ever, love and you know that. Whatever happens tonight don't expect me to forget how you were willing to throw her away like a piece of trash anytime soon." He strode towards to the bags of money that had been delivered, pulling Bella with him so she could start preparations for the daunting task ahead of her.

*H*S*

Gently lifting the rolls of cash, Bella placed them in the large red duffel bag. Once she was finished, Riley approached her with the small GPS device. It was virtually undetectable and would rest on Bella's skin like a patch.

"Dr. Cullen," the FBI agent addressed Edward, "You've seen the online demo on how to properly apply the device. Do you feel comfortable with it, or do you want me to help her?"

"I think we can figure it out, thanks," Edward responded curtly. He had one maniac after his girl – who apparently had naked videos and pictures of her, and a body guard who drooled over her regularly. The last thing he needed was a federal agent feeling her up. He dragged Bella into the other room and shut the door.

It was the first moment they'd had alone all night, and Bella didn't want to ruin it fighting, so she purposely didn't call Edward out on his caveman behavior. Instead, she focused on making sure he was okay. Pushing her body close to his, Bella ran her hands through his hair, looking directly into his eyes, "Are you alright?" she asked gently.

"Baby," he rested his forehead against hers. How was his sweet girl worried about him when she was the one about to try and face her stalker to save Rose? His poor Bella had faced so much and yet was still more concerned with others than herself. _She's too good for me. _He thought for the millionth time. "The question is," he continued, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes," she lifted on her tips toes to kiss him softly but passionately, "I have to do this. Edward, my life has been hard. I have spent so much time utterly alone. Even before the death of my parents, music was my best friend. Teachers and sometimes other violinists provided companionship. But, Edward, you are the love of my life. Being with you has made me realize how I am not destined to be by myself. And your family? My gosh, baby, they have welcomed me and given me back a sense of home that I'd never thought I would experience. I would do anything for them, especially Rose. She is the sister I always dreamed of having. Please understand why I need do my part to make sure she's safe."

The air in the room stilled as the young doctor listened intently to his beautiful girl. He understood everything she was saying, and if it wasn't _her, _the reason for his existence, giving the explanation for walking straight into danger, he would've found it reasonable, honorable even. But, it was in fact his Bella about to put herself in harm's way. And he hated it.

"I do get it baby," he pulled her close, hands ghosting up her sides to cup her breasts gently. Her moan spurned his movements. Thumbs grazed nipples, hips flushed and the moment quickly went from reassuring to lustful. After a passionate kiss that left them both wanting for more, Edward reluctantly pulled away. "So," he asked with as much composure as he could, "Where should we put this patch?"

*H*S*

Riley spoke to the group as 3 AM approached. "So, Bella will get in her car and wait for his call. Once she starts towards the first destination we will follow."

"What do you mean first destination?" Edward asked, his arms still wrapped tightly around his girl.

Demitri sighed, realizing the Cullen family really had no idea what they were dealing with. Someone as smart as James had planned this thing down to the wire. "Dr. Cullen," he answered sternly, "The first thing he will have Bella do is ditch her car and switch for one of his choosing. I assume, Dr. Cullen, that you placed the GPS patch on an, um, intimate area of skin so that he will not come to close to seeing it."

"He'd better not," Edward growled in response. He continued, "What is this business about changing cars? How can we easily follow her?"

Riley replied calmly, "Demitri and I have many years experience tracking criminals much less savvy than James. He may be smart, but from what we can tell Bella is his first stalking victim; he is bound to make errors. Given that he has Rose, he thinks we won't dare disobey his orders. Such an assumption leaves him vulnerable. Remember that at his core, James wants to please Bella. He wants her to come to him and willingly exchange herself for Rose. If Rose is harmed, Bella will be lost to him forever. That fact is the biggest bargaining chip we have."

Emmett shuddered a sigh in relief. He hated implying that Bella was disposable while Rose was not. But, Rose was in fact part of this family – he had made her so, while Edward had not done that with Bella. It meant something, whether his brother chose to believe it or not. He watched warily as Bella and the men left the room, hoping that the night would end with his wife back in his arms.

*H*S*

The bright neon lights of Bella's BMW shone through the depths of the Chicago night. Following inconspicuously a few car lengths behind her Edward, Riley and Demitri waited for her phone, which was connected to there's via satellite. Finally it did, and the automated voice directed Bella to a car rental lot on Chicago's south side. 

The trio of men watched as she slid the silver car into the lot. Riley spoke up first as they waited, "I bet he has one of these cars ready with keys in it and a disposable phone in the driver's seat," he said looking over the array of vehicles. "He's going to demand that she switch cars and phones."

Demitri agreed, "You're right. Then he'll probably have her drive around at least an hour to make sure no one is following her." Edward growled loudly from the back seat, wondering out loud if they knew so much about how James is thinking, why they haven't figured out where the fuck he is yet. Demitri answered calmly, "We are thinking verbally Dr. Cullen. If you want to have Bella back in your arms tonight you'll let us."

Riley huffed, his head in his hands, "Something is off about this. I can't figure out why he's asking for the money. It's too simple. From everything we know about James Hunter, money is not his motivation here."

Nodding in agreement Demitri questioned his colleague, "Yeah, I agree, but if you are heading down this line, what questions are you asking?" At his gut, the guard knew the money in exchange for Rose was just a ploy to draw Bella out; but he wanted to hear Riley's thoughts just the same.

"Well," Riley began, "His demands were too basic. He should've asked for us to be sure not to involve the media or police. If it was about the money why didn't he ask for unmarked nonconsecutive bills? What about demands for no tracing devices in the money bag or Bella's car?" Riley rattled on with frenzied precision that made the other two men shudder.

As Riley was contemplating out loud, the group noticed Bella pick up her phone as the clock in the car blared at them that it was exactly three AM. She moved to get out of the car in response to whatever she was being told on the phone as Edward practically yelled, "Why didn't he demand those things?"

Riley shook his head in contemplation, watching as Bella walked across the dark parking lot with the bag of money at her side and the phone held to her ear. Every man in that car knew that something was off, they just couldn't grasp what. Suddenly, Riley turned to Demitri. He practically yelled, "He never asked those things because this was not about money-for-Rose switch! This is attempt at the second kidnapping – right now!"

In a flurry of activity the three men were out of the car racing towards Bella, Demitri screaming at her to get down. As they raced towards her, a nearby black Mercedes tire's squealed as it tried to jet off into the dark night. Glass shattered as Riley got a few good hits on the back window that were certainly not enough to disable the car. He cursed loudly as the lights faded into the distance.

Edward made it to Bella's form crouched low on the cement and wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed. "Shhh, baby," he crooned, "I've got you, it's okay." He picked her up gently and carried her over to the men who were obviously pissed having let James get away.

"So," he asked trying to remain calm, "What's next guys?"

*H*S*

Returning to Edward's apartment, the group entered solemnly. Demitri spoke to Carlisle first, "Bella's alright. But, I'm sorry Emmett, he never meant for this to be a ransom drop or exchange – he attempted the second kidnapping."

Emmett looked over at Bella, still cradled in Edward's arms. "Thank you for trying," he said through tears as Alice and Jasper stayed close by his side. "What you did tonight was beyond brave. I'm sorry I said you weren't part of this family."

Before Bella could respond, the phone began ringing annoyingly. Riley hit the answer on the speaker, gesturing for everyone to stay quiet.

"Well," the automated voice began, "That was fun. We all got our hearts racing, didn't we? Are you there Bella?" the taker asked frantically. Riley motioned to Bella to stay silent as the voice continued, "Are you there?" he demanded again sounding more frantic. "Come on Baby; tell me you didn't feel a tingle in your spine knowing I was close. Tell me you didn't feel the chemical electricity that course between us. Tell me!" the voice roared filling the room.

Bella shuddered, still held tightly in Edward's arms. She began to answer, but Riley shushed her again. Edward kissed the top her head, hoping she would hold it together.

"Come on Bella," the taker was sounding desperate at this point, "Had those FBI agents and that stupid boyfriend of yours not deduced my plan in the last moment, I'd have had you both – the whole set, a perfect pair. Blond and brunette. Tall and statuesque mirrored by petite and delicate. Current and future Mrs. Cullens – a collector's perfection."

"Why are you doing this?" Bella pleaded to James; though he and Tanya were missing and there was no doubt in anyone's mind that Peter was totally useless, they all knew the young Dr. Hunter was the abductor.

"Because you asked me to Bella," he began, his voice betraying psychosis even through the filter, "With your calls to acknowledge my gifts. With your choice to spend time at my parent's house. And sweet Rose. I've known her since forever. She may not be the beauty that you are sweetheart, no one is, but she has always wanted me, and that I love. You two are best friends; I just want to you to come to me. You can choose to save Rose and give her back to that clown of a husband, or you can exchange yourself for her. I'll take you anyway I can get you baby. You should know at least that by now."

Riley pushed down the mute button on the speaker and stated harshly to Bella, "Do not answer this man."

Releasing herself from Edward' grasp, Bella slapped Riley's hand away from the mute button, activating the speaker. "Why are you doing this?" She sneered, "What do you want?"

"I want you Bella," he answered immediately. "And," he continued, "I know you want me too. You see how great we could be together, I know it. So, Baby Bell, it may not be today, it may not be tomorrow. Hell, it may not even be the Cullen-woman harem I dream of. But make no mistake sweetheart, we will be together. We will be one."

Nothing followed save for the eerie sound of a dial tone floating through the room, causing them all to wonder what would happen next.

**So, you all are so nice to put me on favs and alert. I really love those notifications! Reviews mean a lot to me – so thank you for those as well. A pic tease for chapter 25 will be over on TwificNews so go check it out! **


	26. Chapter 25

**Thanks so much for all of the favorites and reviews! Some of you were really mad at Emmett – don't worry that issue is far from resolved; some damage has been done! As this story winds down, please review and let me know what you think. I have really learned a lot from what you all have to say. The next chapter is already in the works for later this week…**

**I don't own anything aside from the grammatical errors that I miss despite my incessant proof reading….Geez it's hard to catch those little buggers!**

Chapter 25

They waited. All of them, doctors, FBI agents, and worrying wives. They waited for him – who was most certainly James – to call and tell them what to do next. They were at his mercy, this much was clear. The only hope the group had was that James knew how important Rose was to Bella. Because of this fact harming her would effectively end his chance with his little brunette obsession. Despite a desire to keep the operation small, Riley had been forced to call in two more agents from the Chicago office to manage details and keep tabs on surveillance. Peter wasn't talking and Tanya was still missing; these two facts troubled him deeply.

Riley spoke first, breaking the silence, "We can't let him speak with Bella any further," he muttered. The other agent nodded in agreement as he began looking over the transcripts of the previous calls.

"Why not?" Bella asked sharply, knowing that her voice had been the reason they even had confirmation that Rose was alive. From her position snuggled against Edward she couldn't believe what she was hearing! She had done nothing but put herself out there to help Rose from the beginning of this nightmare.

"Because," Demitri stated calmly, "It only feeds his psychosis and keeps the obsession alive. The doctors in the room can confirm, but I suspect James has Antisocial Personality Disorder. He has entered into a psychotic phase and is now totally unpredictable."

Bella and the other women looked questioningly at the Drs. Cullen and Whitlock. Jasper began, "Antisocial Personality Disorder is the technical diagnosis for psychopathy. James is a psychopath. This means that when things are fairly calm he can maintain a demeanor of sanity. However, when the shit hits the fan and someone dares cross him, he will fall into a delusional pattern that makes him ultimately psychotic. This is when the psychopath is most dangerous. He has no grasp on reality and no sense of right and wrong. Anyone who stands in the way of what he wants, in this case Bella and probably Rose, will be eliminated."

Shifting on Edward's lap, as he had refused to let go of her for even one second since the incident in the parking lot, Bella queried, "But what I have done to evoke this? And Rose? Her dislike of anyone with the last name Hunter has been clear from the first time her I and spoke about it. She certainly has not provoked James in the least to lust after her."

Riley responded gently, "He was probably stressed by the closeness developing between you and Edward. He felt threatened, like you were slipping from his grasp. Tanya's hate of Rose is no secret. She has probably been feeding James information and tidbits about Rose for years, just in case it would someday help her out."

"What the fuck, 'slipping out of his grasp'?" Edward fumed, "He never even had her!" Pulling his girl tightly against his chest, Edward began to feel his world crumbling in around him. Emmett had utterly betrayed him by the willingness to abandon Bella so quickly, and his mother's half hearted attempt to cover for her son had, well sucked for lack of a better word. Complete disappointment with everyone in the room save for his girl washed over him in waves.

Demitri took over for Riley, "I'm sure you understand the erotic delusions that often accompany psychopathy, Dr. Cullen. James thinks that Bella, and likely Rose, are in love with him. So, at this point trying to reason with him is futile. He truly believes these women have professed their love though glances, tone of voice, and whatever innocent limited contact they've had with him. Though I still maintain that Bella is his main goal, Rose, for whatever reason entered his delusion and now he won't let her go unless it means getting Bella. You, Emmett and the rest of the family are now keeping _his_ girls from him. We need to figure out a way to get the control back. James is truly obsessed."

Carlisle spoke up, raising himself from the corner where he had been silently contemplating everything the men had said. "What does this mean?"

"It means," Riley replied, "That Dr. Hunter is the most determined kind of criminal."

*H*S*

Emmett sat with his head in his hands, not actually believing that his worst nightmare had come true. His wife was gone, in the hands of a total psycho and his family was fuming at him for what he'd said about Bella, even though they wouldn't quite admit it to his face. He recalled the discussion that had taken place when Bella and Edward had left to make the now defunct exchange.

_Alice approached him as soon as the door shut, trying not to let her voice betray her anger. "Emmett, how could you have said that? We love Bella like she is a Cullen, not to mention that she is practically Edward's whole life. We just got Edward, the real Edward back, if he loses Bella – to James or because she feels we rejected her - we'll lose him for good." _

_Carlisle responded before Emmett could answer his sister, "I suspect that since we didn't stand up for her, no matter what happens we all have some making up to do when this nightmare is over." The senior Cullen put his hand comfortingly on his son's shoulder. They truly did love Bella, all of them. It seems that in that moment, though, none of them had the heart to disagree with Emmett in his darkest hour. As the leader of this family, Carlisle knew he would head the crusade to win back Edward and Bella when the time was right. Never again would they feel like Bella was an outsider._

_Jasper nodded in agreement. "Emmett," he addressed his brother-in-law, "We know you're hurting, but that girl has been nothing but supportive and loving to every member of this family. When Rose hears about this she's going to kick every one of our asses!"_

_Emmett stated glumly, "And when she's here and healthy and pissed at us for hurting her best friend, we will line up and take it – gladly."_

The shrill ringing of the phone brought Emmett out of contemplation. It rang and rang repeatedly until he finally yelled to Riley, "What the fuck man? That's probably him – what haven't you picked up?" He became nervous as the agents exchanged glances with one another, but avoided his question.

Riley answered as the phone rang on, "When we pick up allowing him to demand Bella and threaten Rose until we give in, he holds all of the control. That imbalance of power will get Rose killed." Riley aggressively picked up the phone and swiftly hung it up in the same motion.

"What are you doing?" Emmett asked in disbelief. Carlisle literally held his son back as he stepped towards Riley and the other agents.

The phone rang again. Riley simply stared at it. Demitri glanced at the panicked faces in the room, motioning them to stay silent. After the third ring Riley pushed the speaker button and a frustrated voice filled the air.

"I'm going to hope for your sake that you had technical difficulties, because if you actually just hung up on me - "

Before the taker could finish Riley hung up on him again. Carlisle looked at him as though he were the crazy one, "What are you doing?" He asked incredulously.

The phone started ringing again. "Answer it!" Carlisle demanded. Emmett repeated the phrase as Bella began to try to wiggle out of Edward's grasp and her make way towards the phone herself. Of course, he held her so tightly she could not move an inch.

"Enough," Demitri said firmly, "Let Agent Scott handle this."

On the fourth ring he picked up the phone and nonchalantly answered, "Edward Cullen's residence."

The irate voice yelled, "You know what you've done don't you Scott! You are killing Rose. Let me talk to my baby Bell-"

Before he could finish Riley hung up on him. The room turned chaotic as Emmett pushed hard against Carlisle screaming obscenities toward the agent, begging him to pick up the phone.

Turning to Demitri, Riley instructed, "Hold him down and keep him quiet," the phone started ringing again, which sent Emmett into a wild tangent of screaming and fighting against Demitri. "Get him out of here, now," Riley stated as Jasper helped drag Emmett into the other room. Bella sobbed quietly into Edward's chest and Alice and Esme remained quietly in shock as the events unfolded around them.

Riley pushed the speaker button down again as the disguised voice filled the air, "She is dead!" He yelled with rage, "You hang up on me again, you keep my angel from talking to me and I will rip Rose open!"

With cool calm Riley simply stated, "I'm sorry, you must have the wrong number," as he hung up the phone. Back from restraining Emmett, Demitri gazed at Agent Scott, wondering if this plan would actually work. Riley was one of the best kidnap negotiators the FBI had. He was smart, cunning, and possessed the keen ability to get inside a taker's head. He just hoped to hell that the agent was right.

Carlisle and a much calmer Emmett entered the room, catching Riley's dismissal of the taker. Shuddering with sobs, Emmett muttered, "You killed her. You just got my wife killed."

"No, Dr. Cullen," Riley looked him directly in the eye, "I didn't. I am saving her." The phone started ringing again and Riley whispered, "Have a little faith," before picking up.

"Put Bella on the phone. She is my baby, my angel and I need her," the man stated plainly. As Bella started to try and wrestle free from Edward's hold, he shushed her pressing a kiss to her temple. Riley continued speaking, "No, you're done talking to Bella."

"Would you listen to that arrogant tone," the voice began, "Agent Scott, I never guessed that the condescending quality of your published work on the psychopathic mind would actually come across in your speaking voice. Huh. You must be giving those arrogant Cullen assholes over there a run for their money in the narcissistic department. I can just imagine you fuckers trying to one up each other with your inane theories regarding the inner workings of my mind. At least you've got that insolent idiot Whitlock around to make you feel smart when you make obvious mistakes."

Riley answered glibly, "Well, that's an interesting conclusion. You sound very observant and educated, not to mention very intelligent; too bad we all know that's not true."

The voice growled with anger, "Oh, I know all about all of you, don't you doubt me. Demitri, the over zealous body guard who couldn't make it through Quantico. Private security is a sweet deal, Dem, especially when you spend so much time fantasizing about fucking your client that you leave wide open holes in her protection. How naïve of you to think the only way to harm your precious Bella was to make move on her. No wonder that the CIA didn't want you." The members of the group looked at each other curiously, wondering why he was doing this, and more importantly, _how_ he knew such things.

"Don't get me started on Felix," he continued, "The semi-thoughtful guard who was promoted within in this company too soon simply because of his brute strength. He knows he doesn't have what it takes to do this job – that's why he didn't pass the Secret Service exams, despite being an exemplary Marine. Felix, you want to be taken seriously, but you're no threat to me. You're no threat to anyone. You are nothing but a pumped up side of beef," he ranted on, "And the Cullen family, ah. Wonderful, perfect. Everyone loves you. Carlisle and Esme and their three perfect kids. Please. Your sons were both manwhores who ran around fucking anything with a set of tits that moves. That is, until they finally tricked women they deemed worthy of them – my precious girls Rose and Bella - into loving them. Meanwhile your little slut of a daughter has been fucking that dimwit Jasper all over Chicago since she was fourteen. I know you all. I understand how you think! And because of that, I know just what to do next. The question is, 'Do you?'" He yelled and hung up.

"What the hell was that?" Edward breathed, speaking for the first time in over an hour, "And what did he mean that he knows what to do next. Is he going to kill Rose now?"

Riley sat with a smug smile on his face as he explained, "He was grandstanding. I have learned more about Dr. Hunter and his motivations and plans in the last five minutes than I have all night."

Carlisle spoke up, "But why the sudden shift off Bella on to all of us? How did he know all of those details?"

"He sees us all as interfering with his relationship with Bella and Rose. He would've done his homework about all of us. He's known your family since childhood, and I am certain that he paid Peter to know everything about the security company you hired. As soon as Riley came on board I would bet money the first thing he sent Tanya to do was get information on him and the field officers here in the city that he usually works with. Now at least we know what she's been up to, wherever she is," Demitri explained softly. "Remember, James is smart. He is also attractive and of a certain social class. It is not hard for him, or Tanya, to walk into a room or office and get the information they need. Psychopaths, as a general rule, have a reptilian sense about them: They can easily scan a situation and pick out the persons who will most easily fall under their charms."

"Ah," Felix spoke, "But because he was flustered and pissed off by the dropped calls he made a grave mistake. He told us how to find him."

*H*S*

Emmett paced wildly around the room. "What do you mean? I didn't hear James tell us how to find him! And if you did, then why the fuck are you standing around here instead of getting out there and bringing my wife back."

"I am a special agent," Riley began, "No one outside of the agency, and the two field agents here, even know what kind of work I do. Demitri knew to get in touch with me because of special ops cases we worked on in the past. The information that someone – likely Tanya – was able to glean about myself, Demitri and Felix means that she has a contact on the inside. If she is working on someone here in Chicago and getting the information back to James so quickly, she and the agent she's scamming, or paying, have to know where he is. He's using a disposable phone with us, but I'd bet he had permanent and direct contact with Tanya and her guy."

Carlisle finished his logic, "So, we find the rouge agent and we find James."

"Exactly," Riley acknowledged as he turned to Felix, "Get me a list of all of the field officers based here in Chicago. I imagine Tanya has been casing this guy for awhile; this is not the kind of intell she could get from a first time meeting."

Demitri grabbed the computer, "Call downtown and get Peter involved. I am pretty sure he knows who Tanya's been fucking, and likely paying, in order to help out her cousin. Remember, she hates Rosalie just as much as she hates Bella, maybe more. For one or both women to end up hurt or dead is just an added bonus for her."

Edward and Emmett both shuddered noticeably at the macabre images that Demitri was suggesting. Grasping Bella his chest, Edward asked, "So what do we do now? If they have an inside connection, whoever is helping Tanya could be lurking around right now, privy to everything we're planning. Bella is a sitting duck at this point."

Riley nodded, "Dr. Cullen is right. We need to get Bella to a safe house until we find the mole, and limit the number of agents she comes into contact with." He quickly dialed his cell and spoke rapidly securing a nearby known FBI holding for the petite brunette.

"Wait a fucking minute," Edward bellowed, causing Bella to cover her ears given their proximity, "If you think I'm sending her out there alone when you have no idea who the hell is helping James you're insane. I'm going with her."

Demitri looked to Riley and the other agents. Riley Scott was not a stupid man. He had known awhile back that Edward's refusal to leave Bella's side even for a moment would come back to haunt them. He also understood that to fight the man on this would be a losing battle. Actually, he couldn't blame him: Only an idiot would send off the woman he loves to be cared for by others, no matter how trustworthy, when a psychopath was obsessed with her. "Of course, Dr. Cullen," he conceded, "You and Felix will take Bella to the safe house and stay there with her and another field officer until we find the mole and use him to track James. I wouldn't have it any other way."

**Action packed! The next chapter will be out later this week, early weekend at the latest. I love the reviews, they really mean a lot to me. There is a teaser up over at twificnews, which is actually for chapter 26.**


	27. Chapter 26

**So…thanks for all the favs, alerts and reviews! I hope you all like this chapter. We are nearing the end and I still own nothing but the typos and errors I miss – sorry! **

Chapter 26

The road wound through the countryside into the night that was quickly turning into morning. Bella snuggled deep into Edward's side, watching the fields pass by, their eerie rows of crops casting long shadows across the concrete path as Felix sped down the deserted highway. Resting her head on the strong shoulder that had stood by her unwaveringly throughout this whole ordeal, a deep sigh left her throat as she recounted the events of the night in her mind's eye.

Stirring with the movement of the whoosh of breathe let out by the beauty at his side Edward turned, kissing her forehead, "What baby?" He asked gently. Though unlikely, he'd hoped she would fall asleep given everything that they'd all been through tonight.

Bella hesitated at first, not wanting to cause more strife within the Cullen family unit: Though she knew that what had happened with Rose was not her fault, anymore that it was Emmett's fault that Tanya was obsessed with him and Edward. Yet, she still felt irrationally guilty and the fact that the majority of the family seemed to go along with Emmett's earlier diatribe had not exactly been heart warming.

She finally responded after Edward nudged her soothingly, "I was thinking about what happened earlier with Emmett. Part of me knows that the amount of stress he is under should excuse him -" she placed her hand over Edward's mouth when tried to interrupt her and continued, "but, I still can't help but feel hurt. I thought he and I had a sibling-like connection, you know? And for no one to say anything…It made me feel like they'd easily exchange Rose for me, no problem, no questions asked."

Stifling the anger coursing through him, Edward placed a small kiss on Bella's hand before removing it from his mouth. "I don't know how I'm going to deal with what they did when all of this is over," he stated earnestly, "You ARE my life and for my parents and Emmett to so easily agree to putting you in danger is unacceptable. At least Alice and Jasper seemed disgusted. I hope that Rose gets home safely soon, but I don't know what will happen after that. I simply can't comprehend the level of betrayal. I've been nothing but supportive of every one of their relationships. For them to do this, to treat you that way; Bella, how I am supposed to move past that?"

She didn't know the answer. Bella had never had siblings or really close friends. She loved the Cullens and was willing to forgive lapses of judgment duress, but it would take awhile for her to embrace Emmett, Carlisle and even Esme fully as part of her life. "Baby," she kissed Edward lovingly, "Let's just focus on staying safe and getting Rose back and deal with that stuff later, okay?"

He nodded turning his attention to the road as Felix navigated down a curved narrow dirt street and stopped in front of a small house. Getting out after the guard gave the go ahead, Edward pulled Bella close to him, the darkness making him feel anxious, despite the fact that this was a "safe house." The trio entered the room as the purr of the field officer, Agent Eric Crowley, in the following car pulled in the drive. Edward took in the small living area will a simple couch and dining table.

Felix cleared his throat, "Dr. Cullen, there is a small bedroom down the hall. Why don't you take Bella get some rest while I and the Agent Crowley take a look around and secure the property."

Edward nodded in agreement and led his tired girl into the bedroom, which was small but neat with a comfortable queen size bed in the corner. "Beautiful," he pulled her into his arms, "Let's get some sleep, hmm?" As she nodded he pulled her sweater over her head pushed her skirt off of her hips. Pressing her semi-naked body against his, he ran his hands over soft skin and curves, scraps of lace the only thing in the way. He didn't know if it was the threat that was so close, or the fact that he had seen with his own eyes James try to take her in the parking lot, but a need to claim Bella overwhelmed him.

"Edward," she moaned as he ran his hands down her body, brushing his thumbs against her nipples, "This isn't the time for this baby, we should rest."

Cupping her bottom gently and giving it a little squeeze, Edward responded by kissing her deeply, pulling her little body tightly against his. After a moment, he moved back, still keeping her close, "I know beautiful, let me get you warm." He grabbed the small duffel bag retrieving the yoga pants and his sweatshirt. Gently stripping her of her bra and panties Edward took a moment to appraise his girl, "You are so gorgeous. I can't ever lose you, ever."

Bella allowed him to run his hands over her body, knowing that it was not sexual in this moment, but reassuring. Comforting, reminding himself that she was here, and alive and desperately in love with him. He pushed the too large sweatshirt over her head, smoothing it down her body. Getting on his knees to allow her to brace herself on his shoulders he gently pulled the yoga pants up her legs, smoothing down the sweatshirt over the top. Just as he stood up, the door to bedroom rattling the wall startled them both. Grabbing Bella to his chest, Edward turned to the side shielding her from the intruder.

"Well, isn't this cozy," James Hunter sneered, the metal of his gun glinting in the low light from the lamp. He stared at the pair, knowing that this was his moment; his time to finally take what was his.

*H*S*

Seeing Edward shut the door behind himself and Bella Felix let out a breath of relief. He hoped the couple was safe, for now. Turning to the Eric, he tried not to resent that a federal agent had been assigned to help _him_, he stated clearly, "Let's go check the property, yeah?"

Nodding was the only response Felix got as they headed out the door. Felix, as Agent Scott had mentioned, had been a good Marine and was devastated when he failed to meet Secret Service requirements. However, getting hired by Demitri's company had been a wonderful opportunity, and Felix took his job very seriously. Given these facts, he hated that his trust in Riley was shaken by his choice to include these agents without giving thought to who they may have been in touch with over the past few months. This thought was starting to take form and transform into action when a sharp blow took the large man by surprise. As darkness enclosed his field of vision Felix turned, expecting to see the new agent as his attacker. He choked with shock when the rifle wielding attacker was none other than the strawberry blonde they'd been searching for all night. "Fuck," were the last words out of his mouth before hit the ground.

Tanya stood over the beefy bodyguard with a smirk. Everyone had underestimated her, just like in San Francisco. Her boyfriend there had dared to choose his wife and snotty kids over her, and well, it resulted in Felix not being the first guy she'd taken down. "James," she yelled into the darkness, "Go get my man and that bitch, I'll go try and find the other guy; he's got to be out here somewhere." James was going to be so upset when he returned to the cabin and realized that Rose was gone. After he left to go get his girl with the knowledge that Tanya would follow a few minutes behind, she had grabbed the stupid blonde and dumped her in an alley at the nearest hospital with a call to 911 from her disposable phone. She'd shared enough with that bitch over the course of her life, fuck if she was going to share the attention of her cousin as well. Besides, once James at his precious Bella he'd forget all about the ugliest Cullen.

Not seeing the other agent, Tanya skulked off into the night, searching for the next man she'd willing take down for her baby Edward.

*H*S*

"What the fuck are you doing?" Edward glared at the man in front of him, not all intimated. That asshole was going to touch his girl over his dead body, gun or no gun.

"Shut the fuck up Cullen," James responded coolly with eerie calm, "I'm taking what is mine. Let her go. You don't care about her, you are incapable of love. You and your fucked up family sit around and call me crazy, when really you are the only who doesn't know how to treat a woman, especially one as special as Bella. Do the right thing for once in your pathetic life and let her go. Let her come to me – someone who loves her and will always take care of her."

Edward shifted again so Bella was out of James' line of sight. He spoke succinctly, no fear in his voice, "I'll let her go over my cold dead corpse. Fuck off." Edward was so done with this bullshit.

Before James could respond, Bella pushed against Edward's arm as he slowly backed them into the corner. She stifled back the tears quickly building in her throat, "Why are you doing this? You don't even know me."

"I know that you've shared through your glances, tone of voice, and your music that you feel something for me. If it weren't for HIM, you'd be with me. I'm not wiling to give up on you," his voice crept into the room, cold, slithering and utterly terrifying.

"Why bring Rose into the equation if you love me so much?" she asked shakily, tightening her hold on Edward.

"Because a pair is better than one Sweetheart. Hasn't anyone ever told you that?" James responded with a tone of voice that made his insanity as clear as day. "Now," he continued pointing the gun at Edward, "I'm going to kill pretty boy here, and then you and I will live happily ever after, just like a fairy tale."

A shriek from the doorway distracted James long enough for Edward to see his chance and take it. As Tanya's screeching about how dare her man be in harm's way filled the air, Edward lunged at James, knocking the gun out of his hand. Tanya was immediately silenced by Agent Crowley's stun gun before he turned to the men fighting on the ground. Quickly, he grabbed James by the collar and struck him in the temple with the blunt end of his Glock. Edward shot off the floor and grabbed Bella, asking repeatedly if she was okay.

In shock due to the scene in front of her that had unfolded and then seemingly ended in mere minutes, Bella nodded incoherently. She watched as the agent coolly and calculatingly handcuffed the Hunters and called for back up. "Where's Felix?" Was all she could think to ask.

"He's recovering in the other room," Agent Crowley replied swiftly, "Tanya's clocked him pretty good out there," he was interrupted by a transmission through his earpiece, "But," he stated loudly, "We'll talk about that later, we've got to go – Rosalie has been found."

**Only a few chapters left to go! Reviews, by the way, are better than a hot Edward putting you in your pjs…just sayin'…**


	28. Chapter 27

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews, alerts and favorites! I have learned so much from all of your comments…Keep 'em coming please. **

**I don't own anything, just my typos. **

Chapter 27

"What do you mean they found Rose? Is she okay?" Bella asked quickly, turning in Edward's arms to face Agent Crowley.

He motioned with his hands for her to stay quiet for a moment earning a scowl from Edward at the harsh gesture. Edward could give two shits about anyone in his family at the moment, Rosalie included, which he was remiss to admit.

After a moment of listening, Eric reported to the couple what he had learned, "Apparently someone dumped Rose in an alley near a small hospital on the outskirts of Chicago. A disposable phone was left on her person after 911 had been dialed from it. She's okay and has been moved to the hospital where her husband and father – and obviously you Dr. Cullen - work."

Bella let out a breath of relief, "Oh thank goodness she's safe. But, I hope James didn't hurt her. Do we know anything about what happened while he had her?" Bella was terrified of any other man besides Edward touching her in a sexual way, and she knew that Rose felt the same about her relationship with Emmett.

At that moment, James, who had regained consciousness, decided it was wise to spew, "Don't worry baby," he groggily replied, "I would never touch anyone but you. You're the only I want to make love to…Rose would've just made a nice companion for us both."

The only sounds in the room were the growl rising from Edward's throat and the loud whack of Felix's gun as it made contact with James' skull. "That's for your bitch of a cousin asshole," he grunted, "And your inability to shut the hell up." Turning towards the couple he stated, "I'm so sorry she caught me off guard. I'm glad you two are okay; she must've been casing us all along and followed…I'm so sorry."

Edward spoke first, as Bella was still in shock regarding the violence that was ongoing in front of her eyes, "Its okay Felix. She's a crazy bitch, as I've been saying all along. What are you going to do with these fuckers now?" He questioned looking at the pathetic pair cuffed on the floor.

"The authorities are on their way and will take them downtown to meet with interrogators before they get thrown in jail – no chance of bail," he responded firmly.

"So can Bella and I leave?" Edward asked impatiently. He was ready to be done with this bullshit, now. All he wanted to do was take Bella home get her naked and stay wrapped around her for days.

Agent Crowley answered for him, "Of course. Felix, why don't you take them home and I'll wait for the pick up; I just got the call that the team is about five minutes out."

Felix nodded and gestured for Edward to follow him to the car with Bella in tow. Once settled in the backseat of Edward pulled out his phone and furiously began to text someone.

"Who are you texting sweetheart?" Bella asked softly from beside him, still a bit dazed from everything that had happened in such a short amount of time. The sun was starting rise and it was just about to be only twenty-four hours since she left the day before on her shopping trip with Rose and everything went to hell.

"Demitri," he answered gently, sensing that his anger at just about everyone and everything would have to be stifled. Gazing down into her slightly dilated pupils and pale face he knew his beautiful girl needed him at the moment. Scared, tired, in shock – all of these words likely described her state of mind. "I want to make sure that my place is empty. I'm pretty certain the family is at the hospital with Rose, but the other agents and equipment should out of there. You and I need to be alone for awhile."

Bella nodded, "I'll have to place a call into work and let them know I'm going to miss rehearsal for a few days." Luckily the Christmas concerts hadn't started yet, so being absent for a few days would be okay, she hoped.

"I've already asked Demitri to do it, as well as let the hospital know I'll be out for a few days," he leaned down to kiss her gently on the forehead. "Let's go home. I want to take care of you beautiful."

Bella hummed her approval and snuggled deeply into Edward's side as she drifted off to sleep.

*H*S*

Upon waking, a few errant thoughts slowly wormed their way into Bella's semi-conscious mind. The first was that Edward's arm was firmly attached around her waist pushing her into the soft bed. The second was that his hand gently enclosed her _bare_ breast. Giggling softly she realized that even the traumatic events of the day before could not squelch his penchant for having her naked in his bed.

"That's a sound that I love waking up to," Edward's husky voice filled the air as he ran his thumb across a hardened little peak, earning him a moan from his girl. Moving slowly down gentle curves and soft skin, hands following the line of her body, Edward eventually reached the apex of her thighs and felt the effect of his ministrations as the slick wetness covered his fingers.

"Ugh baby," she half-spoke half-moaned, "Please don't tease me, I want you. Now." Bella would never understand how this man could turn on so completely with just a few touches. She tried to turn around to face him, but he chose that moment to lift her thigh slightly and enter her with one long finger, stilling her movements.

"What do you want me to do to you love?" Edward asked innocently, grinding his cock into the small of her back. Teasing his girl until she was a gooey mess under his touch had become one of favorite past times. With the drama that surrounded them over the past few weeks though, he hadn't had time to properly attend to his girl, and that was about to change.

"I want you inside of me Edward," she gasped as he lightly wiggled one finger inside of her; just enough to get her worked up, but not nearly enough for her release.

With a curve of his finger he chided lightly, "I am inside of you baby." Before she could respond he removed his hand and flipped her onto her back, kissing her deeply searching her wet little mouth with his tongue. Pressing her legs open he kneeled between them and continued to kiss her, bracing one arm next to her head while the other hand tweaked her nipple. After a moment, her skin quivered under his lips as he made a path down her neck, between the valley of her breasts, stopping only at her belly button to dip the tip of his tongue inside.

She shuddered with pure pleasure, the stress and pain of the previous day floating away as bliss took over. Finger tips grazing her clit, a soft tongue pushing inside of her; these sensations brought one of the most intense orgasms she'd ever had. It literally felt as though she was purging the negativity of the past few days.

Watching her come down from her high, Edward had reached a hardness that rivaled titanium. "Baby," he muttered, "I need to be in you, are you ready for me?" He took her nod as a yes and pounded into her as hard as he dared. In and out, slick tight heat engulfed him as the attempt to hold out for her to come again became more and more difficult. "Beautiful," he moaned, "Are you almost there baby? I need you to come for me."

As the words left his mouth her sweet little pussy clenched around him, his name on her lips. That sound, one of the most perfect in his world, sent him over the edge and he collapsed on top of her, staying inside, not wanting to break their connection.

After a moment of quiet peace Bella stroked Edward's back gently, "Sweetheart, as much as I love this position, I can't breathe." She chuckled as he quickly rolled off of her and pulled her up onto his chest, holding her tightly.

"I'm sorry baby. Are you okay?" He felt her nod against his chest and continued, "It's almost four in the afternoon, I can't believe we slept all day," he mused. "I'm going to order us some food, you've not eaten since who knows when," he said softly rubbing the side of her taut belly.

"Yeah, I am hungry," Bella bit her lip and looked down into his eyes from her perch atop his chest, "And I'd love a cheesy gooey deep dish pizza with the works," she finished shyly.

Edward shook his head, why his girl would be shy about asking for a pizza when he would gladly give her the world if he could he'd never know. "Sure, baby," he sniggered, "Pizza sounds perfect. How about this – you don't move and I'll go order one and we'll stay in bed the rest of the day and night; I think we've earned it."

She beamed a smile in his direction and he slipped on a pair of boxers and sauntered off into the next room to grab his cell. Once he was gone she ran into the bathroom to clean up and bit and then returned to bed, remaining naked. _Don't want to disappoint my man after all, _she thought to herself glibly.

Edward returned to see his Bella snuggled up in a mountain of pillows against the headboard withthe sheet barely covering her breasts as mahogany locks fell gently around her shoulders. He'd never seen anything more beautiful. "Okay sweetheart, pizza should be here soon. And I brought us something to drink," he pulled out a bottle of cabernet and two glasses out from behind his back and sat next to her on the bed, kissing her lightly. After pouring them each a glass he sighed as Bella hummed in delight against the red liquid.

"So," she began slowly, her pinky circling the rim of her glass, "When do you want to go see Rose? She must be wondering where I am. I'm actually surprised the family hasn't called yet."

Edward took a gulp of wine, hoping that his answer wouldn't ruin the peace between them. "Well," he launched into his explanation calmly, "I asked to Demitri to tell everyone to give us a few days to rest and recover. I sent Rose some flowers from the both of us telling her that we would be by to visit as soon as she returned home," he took a deep breath, "Frankly Bella, I'm not sure when I can face them all again. What Emmett said, and how everyone reacted; I don't know how to get to a place where I can forgive that."

Seeing the pain in his eyes, Bella's reproach quickly died on her lips. Setting her glass on the nightstand, she turned to Edward and placed her hands gently on his face, giving him a sweet kiss on the lips. "I know that your family hurt you. I will wait however long you need to talk to them. We will work together towards forgiving them, and going at a pace that you set. I have faith in you to take the lead in this Edward because I love you and trust you more than anything. But," she hesitated, "Rose has done nothing wrong. I don't want to punish her for what the others did."

Edward sighed. He knew Bella was right. His girl was smart and compassionate. Yet, he wasn't ready to face any of them, especially Emmett. From the beginning, he had been nothing but supportive of any person they'd brought into the family. The things his brother said, and they way his parents _didn't _react. Well, frankly it sucked. A lot.

"Beautiful," Edward began, "Can we just have a few days to ourselves before we deal with all of this?"

"Of course," she gave in quickly, not wanting to upset Edward. Rose probably needed rest and time with Emmett anyway. She'd call the hospital directly tomorrow and try to get in touch with her, maybe that way she could bypass the family. A doorbell interrupted her train of thought and she looked at Edward expectantly, "Pizza already?"

"Hmm, maybe," Edward nodded and got up to answer, throwing a shirt over his head and sliding some flannel sleep pants on. Bella moved to get dressed, but Edward stopped her. "Uh uh beautiful. You stay right there. I'll bring everything we need in here. No leaving bed remember?" She giggled as he winked over his shoulder now hurrying to the door.

Opening up the front door he was surprised to see it wasn't the pizza guy at all, but rather Demitri.

*H*S*

"Dr. Cullen," Demitri stuttered somewhat nervously, after all they hadn't had a chance to talk about his failure, not to mention everything James had revealed regarding his feelings towards Bella. The large man was almost bracing for a right hook to the face at this point, not that he'd blame the young doctor. He continued, "Do you have a minute? There are a few things I'd like to discuss with you."

Edward looked calmly at Demitri. There were so many things that he learned yesterday that he hadn't even processed. Two of which were the fact that James had nude photos and video of Bella that had been seen by at least a few people at this point, and that this man that he'd placed his trust in, as well as paid a great deal of money to, had been lusting after his girl the whole time.

"Go ahead, but it quick. Bella and I are just getting ready to eat something," he sternly replied.

"I just want to say that I'm sorry about what happened to Rose. I should've thought to watch after her more closely, especially when I felt something was off. I was just so focused on keeping Bella safe that I didn't consider all of the potential scenarios," Demitri finished with his head low. He did really feel badly about what had happened; he'd never experienced such a failure in his company, ever.

Leveling him with a glare, Edward chose his words carefully, "Demitri, I understand that you're upset by what happened. Thank the Lord that Rose is okay. However, I paid you to protect _Bella_. Emmett knows how much Tanya hates his wife; if he was worried about her safety then it was his job to hire security for her. The way I see it," he took a calming breath, "I trusted you to keep Bella safe, and you did. Not a hair on her head was harmed from the moment you started working for me. That said I'm not sure what you're actually apologizing for."

Demitri's silence spoke volumes, and when he finally answered his voice was low and unsure, "The things that James said, about how I feel about her. I just want you to know that what I do or don't feel for Bella is inconsequential. I have never disrespected her in any way and I never would. Even if I didn't work for you, and her, anyone with eyes can see the love between the two of you as clear as day. Any man would be foolish to try and break that up."

"I know Demitri. You've done nothing but treat us all quite professionally, and I thank you. I do have one question though," Edward cleared his throat, "Do you know what's happened with the, um, footage James had of Bella? I'd rather it stay private, as I'm sure you understand."

Nodding furiously, Demitri responded quickly, "No one has actually viewed it Dr. Cullen, Peter just reported that he had seen it on James' phone and that Tanya emailed to herself. Riley said these sorts of stalking cases where there are sexual elements are handled with the utmost care – that material will never see the light of day."

Edward let out a whoosh of air in relief. The thought of his girl being humiliated and exposed made him want to vomit. "Well then," Edward said reaching out his hand to Demitri, "I guess we have nothing left to discuss. We'll be in touch as this thing unfolds."

When the guard opened the door to leave the pizza finally arrived, and Edward swiftly paid and kicked the door shut. Swinging by the kitchen to grab plates and napkins he headed back to feed his girl.

*H*S*

"Ummm," Bella moaned sinking back into the bed, "That was so good, but I think you're gonna have to roll me around the house for a few days I'm so full."

Edward kissed her sheet-covered tummy. "I would gladly roll you anywhere you'd like baby." He laughed, finally feeling comfortable and sated, by sex and food, not to mention the bottle of wine was all but gone. He rested his head near hers and picked up the remote pointing it at the flat screen mounted on the wall across from the bed, "Let's watch a movie and relax."

After a few hours of mindless TV and more than a little touching and kissing, Edward looked over to see his beautiful girl had drifted off to sleep. Giving her a kiss on the forehead he moved out of the bed grabbing their leftovers and taking them to the kitchen.

As he finished putting the dishes in the machine a soft knock sounded at the door. A quick check at the clock showed almost nine PM, so he wasn't quite sure who it would be at that hour.

Rushing to the door before the knocking woke his girl, Edward flung the it open to reveal a person he certainly did not expect.

"Edward," Carlisle pushed passed him into the living room, "We need to talk," he began firmly, "And I won't take no for an answer."

**Reviews are better than a cheesy deep dish Chicago style pizza…..**


	29. Chapter 28

**So I'm going out of town for a few days, but I am working on a longer chapter for later next week. Thanks for all of the reviews!**

**I don't own anything…except my stupid little typos – I'll catch them all one of these days; I swear it!**

Chapter 28

Dumfounded was the first reaction Edward had watching his father push his way into the apartment. Regaining his composure quickly he shut the door and raised up to his full height, ready to face off with Carlisle.

"What do you want?" Edward asked coolly. He was not in the mood to deal with whatever bullshit his family was selling; the only thing he wanted was to go lay in bed with his girl and sleep for a week.

Carlisle sighed, knowing that this wasn't going to be easy. In all honesty, he wasn't sure why he and Esme hadn't done or said more when Emmett suggested that Bella was, well, disposable for lack of a better word. He had been literally ill when he saw the broken hearted look in his son's eyes. To think that when Edward fell for Bella so hard and so fast he and Esme had worried that the girl was too young to settle down and she would break his heart, when all along it was Edward's own family that ultimately caused him pain.

"We're so so sorry Edward. For everything," Carlisle cleared his throat before continuing, "Emmett was just so upset, and allowing Bella to go seemed to be the only way to get Rose back. Please understand that we care about that girl and we love how she's brought you back to us. We are all truly so sorry."

Looking at his father, his role model for most of his life in the eye Edward was quite confused. He heard the words coming out of his father's mouth, but didn't believe any of them. His family, the _only_ people until Bella that had meant anything to him so easily betrayed him, and the ability to move past that felt unreachable.

Ignoring what his father has just said he instead inquired about Rose. He just wasn't ready to process an apology, so he figured focusing on other things would be best for the moment.

"Uh," Carlisle uncharacteristically stumbled over his words a bit, not understanding why his son hadn't addressed the question, "She's okay. James had loaded her with a pretty high dose of Phenobarbital so she's been in and out of consciousness, mostly asking for Emmett. I'm just allowing her to detox naturally, keeping her hydrated, and I expect she'll be fully lucid by tomorrow."

"How about her physical state? Did they touch her, beat her or anything?" Edward asked. He did truly care about his sister-in-law, not to mention that she was Bella's best friend and anything that hurt his girl would not be good.

Carlisle shook his head, "No, in terms of physicality she's fine. I think that he basically chemically restrained her with the Phenobarb, so there was no need to use physical force. She was fully clothed when she was dumped. Since there was no sign of struggle Emmett requested that we not do a rape kit until she wakes up and can tell us what she remembers; he doesn't want to put her through that. He's very protective of her in that way especially, I'm sure you can understand."

Agreeing readily, Edward cringed at the thought of Bella being poked and prodded that way. He cleared his throat, shaking his head as if to rid it of the awful images, "Yes, I can understand why he would want to avoid that. I'm glad she's alright. I sent her some flowers on behalf of myself and Bella…." He trailed off not sure what to say next. Awkwardness with his father was new to Edward. They'd always shared a personal and professional ease that was now totally obsolete.

"Are you going to say something about what happened?" Carlisle asked, frustrated with the situation. He hated the atmosphere in the room, but felt powerless to change it.

Pacing slowly across the floor, Edward began speaking softly, "I don't know what to say Dad. You hurt me, which I could handle. But, you hurt Bella, _my_ girl. The only woman I have ever loved. The woman I have been planning the perfect proposal for over the past month; the next Mrs. Cullen. Hurt her and you lose me. You all made her feel as though you'd all have been happy if James took her and gave back Rose. Would that have made you feel better?"

"What? No!" Carlisle exclaimed, "We love Bella, the thought of James taking her is horrific to us all. Edward, you can't possibly think that because we didn't jump down Emmett's throat in his time of need that we don't love her. Come on, be reasonable."

The only thing keeping him from yelling was the fact that his beautiful girl was asleep in the next room and she needed her rest after everything she'd been through. "Be reasonable?" He hissed, "You basically stayed quiet while Emmett told her she should allow herself to be kidnapped and likely sexually assaulted and who knows what else by a total psycho to save your 'real daughter.' What do you expect me to think?"

Sitting down on the couch Carlisle put his head in his hands, feeling truly defeated for the first time in a long while. He and Esme may have lost their son because of their stupid decision not to silence Emmett's rant. _Fuck_, the proper and always gracious Carlisle Cullen thought.

"So nothing then," Edward scoffed, "That's what I thought. Just go. We'll contact you when we're ready."

Carlisle rose and turned to his son, "We do you love both Edward, and we're sorry. Please, don't banish us based on extenuating circumstances."

He nodded in return opening the door for his father as he left. He and Bella would decide together when to forgive them. And, they would. He just didn't know when.

"I'm not concerned with circumstances," he replied, "I'm only concerned about Bella."

*H*S*

Bella listened to the ring of the phone feeling more and more anxious with each tone. Edward had gone to the store to buy food for what he dubbed, "The perfect dinner" and she was taking advantage of the privacy to call Rose directly. After a restful day of relaxation, she had finally convinced Edward to let her out of bed. Now as late afternoon approached she felt it was time to call her friend.

"Hello," the weak voice spoke into the phone.

"Rose," Bella breathed, "Are you okay? I'm so sorry for all of this."

"Bella," Rose answered sweetly, "Thank you for the flowers, they're lovely." After a moment of silence she continued, "I know about everything. What happened, what Emmett said, and what everyone else _didn't _say. I am so sorry. This, the craziness, was not your fault. Are you okay?"

Bella was shocked, "Are _you_ okay?" she asked frantically. _Rose shouldn't be focused on anyone but herself right now, _"You are the one who was taken!"

"I'm fine," Rose responded, "He drugged me, but I still knew what was going on pretty much. James wasn't cruel to me, and I was only alone with Tanya at the very end. No one touched me, I'm fine. The only thing I'm worried about right now is you and Edward and the family. What's going on with him?"

Bella sighed. She knew about the conversation with Carlisle the night before and how basically nothing had been resolved. He'd apologized, and Bella knew the rest of the family would come talk to them as well. Answering Rose she spoke softly, "I don't Rose. He's so hurt. I understand that it was a crazy moment; no one knew where you were and we felt like we couldn't trust anyone. Apparently Tanya was sleeping with one of the agents and getting information from him about what our plans were. I don't even know if they ever figured out who did it," she paused, making a note to ask Edward about that later, "Emmett was losing his mind – I am hurt, but I don't want to hold it against him. I've already lost one family. I can't lose another."

"Bella," Rose stated, "You know that I would never have wanted you to bring that money right? I can't believe that James almost got to you – that you put yourself in danger like that! James has a little delusional crush or whatever on me, but the point of taking me was to get to you. Had he gotten you he would've hurt you and done terrible things to you," she let out a deep breath, "Emmett knows this. He knew what he was asking you to do; the potential of what you walked into. I am so grateful that you tried, but I'm so sorry if you felt you had to because of what he said."

"No Rose," Bella said forcefully, "I had already made up my mind that I was going to help, what Emmett said was to convince Edward to go along with the plan. I love you like a sister. I can't say that I'll feel the same way about the others again anytime soon, but you? Nothing has changed."

The two women finished up their call on good terms, promising to see each other as soon as Rose was released. As she hung up the phone Edward walked through the door, hands full of take out bags. She laughed and kissed him lightly on the lips, taking one of the cartons from him. "What happened to creating the perfect dinner?" 

"Well," he ran his hands through his hair, "I passed by that sushi place and it called to me – I couldn't help it." He kissed her again, "Come on, let's eat."

After the delicious food had been eaten and the mess cleaned up, Bella lay back on Edward's chest as he rested against the couch pillows. "Baby," she began playing with his fingers dancing across her tummy, "Did they ever figure out who was giving Tanya the up to date information during the negotiations? And, what about that stuff that James had of me on his phone?" She hadn't brought that up to Edward yet, but she was so terrified that one day she'd turn on the computer to find nude pictures of herself all over the internet or something.

Edward tensed at the mention of what had happened, but he didn't want Bella to worry any of it. "First off, Agent Scott said they're still looking into who the mole was, but they've narrowed it down to actually not an agent but one of the technicians that helped with the monitoring devices. Secondly, I spoke to Demitri about the footage on the phone - "

Bella interrupted, "Oh shit Edward! Please tell me that he didn't see it too," she practically wailed. This nightmare needed to end.

Shushing her he flipped her over so she was straddling his lap Edward placed his hands on her hips, stilling her. "No, baby," he said quietly, "Agent Scott assured me that no one has viewed it. They've confiscated James' phone and are combing through both his and Tanya's residences and their computers for all information related to the case. I was told these sorts of things are handled with the utmost of care. No one will see it, I promise. No worries okay beautiful?"

Bella leaned in and kissed him deeply, "OK Edward, I'll try not to worry," she stated with more confidence that she actually had. She kissed him again, wanting her mind off of that topic immediately. Leaning away from him a bit she lifted her tank top over her head and threw it to the side. Edward responded immediately, as she knew he would, and took nipple into his soft wet mouth. Grinding against him she breathed, "I love you, so much."

Releasing her nipple with a pop and standing her up a bit so he could remove her pants Edward responded, "As I love you." Wiggling out of his boxers he settled his girl back down on his cock, groaning has she engulfed him. They spent the rest of the evening making love, refusing to let anxiety about the unknown seep in even for a moment.

*H*S*

Carlisle reached over and hugged his wife close to side in their warm comfortable bed. He had tried with Edward, not wanting to wait any longer to have the path to forgiveness begin. Unfortunately, he'd arrived back home to his wife with very little good news to share.

"Esme," he said gently, "What are we going to do if we've lost him again?"

She rolled over to look at her husband and thought for a moment. Edward had always been around and attended various family functions, shown up for major holidays and such, but until Bella entered his life he was aloof, distant and not really a part of things. That young woman meant so much to all of them; for whom she was as a person, but also for what she had done for Edward.

"I don't think we will," she began firmly. "Bella is a better person than, well us apparently. She will want to forgive us and Edward will do anything to make her happy. Getting Bella see that we love her and never meant to reject her is the path to achieving peace with Edward."

Carlisle nodded into her hair, holding her more tightly to his chest, "You're right. I made a mistake going over there last night. All I did was poke him when he is still clearly in a place of anger. We should go directly to Bella after they've had a few more days to themselves."

Esme smiled, "Then that's what we'll do." She drifted off to sleep feeling hopeful that Bella would allow them back into her heart and life, and that Edward would be close behind.

**Next chapter in about a week, maybe less…Two more or so to go….Review please!**


	30. Chapter 29

**Thanks everyone for the reviews and alerts – I appreciate it more than you know! I'm on my way to camp this week for chronically ill kids as camp doc – can't wait, should be a really great time for all! So I decided to release this week's first chapter today since I don't know about internet access…Enjoy and review! **

**I only own my typos…alas.**

Chapter 29

November moved along, the weather cooling even further and the days shortening considerably. Edward stared at himself in the mirror, straitening his red tie against the white shirt of his favorite black suit. The day before Thanksgiving was typically the Christmas season opening at the symphony and since there was no way he was missing such an important concert for Bella, he'd face his family for the first time all together. In the few weeks since Rose's abduction, he and his girl had spoken to members of the family individually. The meetings had been polite –_for the most part,_ he thought wryly recalling his run-in with Emmett at the hospital the first day he'd returned to work.

~hshs~

_Edward passed by the nurse's station as usual to greet Kate and grab his first set of charts for the day. _

"_Welcome back Dr. Cullen," she greeted warmly. "I'm so glad that Bella and Rose are okay. You have a few cases already set up," Kate continued as he looked at the board, "Room one is prepped a ready; it's only sutures to the forehead but the parents are requesting that a doctor do it because they don't want their 'baby's beautiful face ruined.'"_

_Edward rolled his eyes and headed into the room to get started. After opening the door his introduction to the new patient died on his lips as he spotted his brother finishing up. "Uh, excuse me," Edward stuttered, "I am the other 'Dr. Cullen,' it seems like my brother beat me to the case." With a smile to the patient he swiftly left room, not ready to face Emmett just yet._

_Emmett followed him into the hall, his big hand grabbing his shoulder and spinning him around, "Are you going to ignore me forever? Mom and Dad too? Are Rose, Jasper, and Alice the only people you and Bella are speaking to at the moment?" _

_In a surprising display of strength against the large man Edward pushed him up against the wall, "Don't you say her name asshole! If you had your way she'd be chained to a bed somewhere raped and molested by that fucker instead of him rotting in a cell. Shut the fuck up. We'll come to you when we're ready. Respect that, please."_

_Emmett allowed his brother to keep him pinned to the wall despite the fact that he could've easily pushed away. Speaking softly, looking directly into that signature set of bright green eyes, he stated clearly and calmly, "I love Bella like a sister, I was out of my mind that day, Edward. Can you even for one second imagine what you would've done if the situations were reversed? You'd have all but begged Rosie to go and try to get Bella. Please don't lie to me when you know it's the truth. You stand there and act self-righteous when you know you'd have thrown Rosie under the bus for Bella."_

"_Don't you try and reverse this on me mother fucker," Edward seethed, "Bella is my life. But, would I have sent Rosie – your virginal wife – straight into the arms of a man who wanted nothing more than to take her, claim her, and rape her? No, _I_ wouldn't have done that. I would've chosen to talk with Riley and figure out a plan B. Rose is not a bargaining chip, but Bella was to you," he finished quietly by adding, "And the fact that no one else said anything made her feel worthless."_

_Hating what he was about to say, but uttering it anyway, Emmett stated calmly and clearly, "My wife's name is Rosalie Cullen. Your girlfriend of now seven months is still Bella Swan. I like her, everyone likes her. But you; you Edward have fucked half this town, including Tanya herself. So Bella is one of hell of a step up, fine. But, don't expect us to risk our family on your cock's flavor of the year. You may be reformed or whatever, but you still made choices in your past that make it hard for us all to believe that you won't dump Bella if something better comes along. I'm sorry, but it's the truth."_

"_Fuck you, Emmett. We are done. Forever. Have a nice life," Edward stated surely. In his heart, he was completely finished with his brother. There was no coming back from what he'd just said, not about him – he did make horrible choices in his youth – but about Bella, that was the final crack in a breaking bond._

~hshs~

The tension in the Cullen box was thick as the beautiful sounds of Tchaikovsky's traditional opening march of the Nutcracker filled the air. Instead of focusing on the less than pleasant atmosphere, Edward turned his attention to his girl. She looked gorgeous in a fitted red dress and black heels, the orchestra members all wearing coordinated colors for Christmas. The box was close enough to the stage that he could see her slender fingers moving across the strings on the neck of her violin. He couldn't wait until the gorgeous pink asscher cut diamond graced her left ring finger. It would sparkle brilliantly under the lights, marking her as his forever.

These pleasant thoughts and the music, of course, allowed him to enjoy the concert, despite the looks he was getting from his family now and then. He had told Jasper and Alice about had happened between him and Emmett. They were shocked and couldn't believe that the normally jovial man had taken what guilt and pain he was in out on Bella – it didn't seem like something he would normally do, even under such awful circumstances.

The final notes filtered around the hall and as the curtain fell the group turned to Edward. Esme spoke first, "Are we going to see you and Bella tomorrow at Alice's for dinner?" she asked sweetly.

Edward nodded, "Uh, yeah, we'll be there. Bella's really excited about doing a big traditional Thanksgiving and all." The silence was rapidly becoming awkward when Rose broke into explain that her and Emmett would be there as well along with her parents. Edward cleared his throat, "That should be nice, I haven't seen them in awhile. Well," he turned to leave, "I'm going to wait for Bella in her dressing room. We'll see you tomorrow."

Before anyone could answer he practically ran out of the box and down the hall towards the backstage area.

*H*S*

Bella startled as the room to her dressing room flung open. "Geez Edward, you scared the crap out of me!" She exclaimed. He quickly shut the door firmly, purposely striding towards her. He approached with determination in his eyes, grabbing her around the waist and kissing her soundly.

"Sorry beautiful," he began still holding onto her tightly, "It was weird with my family in the box tonight. I just had to get out of there as quickly as possible. Plus," he added with a squeeze to her ass, "Watching you up there for the past few hours has left me completely turned on." He emphasized his point with a tug on the zipper at the back of her dress. It had only been a few weeks since the James and Tanya cluster fuck, and they were just getting used to the fact that they weren't being followed by stalkers, or bodyguards, at every moment.

"Turned on hmmm?" Bella asked coyly shimming out of her dress letting it pool at her feet. She chose to ignore the comment about his family for the moment, knowing they'd have time to deal with that later. Stepping back and out her dress she slapped Edward's hand as he reached for her. "Uh, uh," she wagged her finger in his face, "Just watch for a minute, then touch." Unclasping her lacy bra and throwing to the side Bella slid her panties down her legs, careful to not trip in her heels as she delicately stepped out of tiny garment. "So," she dragged a finger down her neck and traced her nipple, "What exactly is turning you on baby?"

Seeing her so carefree after the many months of worry and fear underlying her every action, Edward's heart filled with love for his sweet beautiful girl. Even when she was a naughty little vixen she remained innocent his eyes simply because _he _was the only man who got see her this way, the only one who would ever enjoy her like this. Moving swiftly enough to catch her by surprise Edward grabbed her naked hips and pushed her back so she was sitting on the counter lining the back of the room. Silencing her with a kiss and moving between her legs he took her breasts in his hands while she reached forward to release his belt and push down his pants and boxers.

"Just fuck me Edward," she moaned, more than ready to take him in. She stifled a scream as he pounded into her hard and fast. Pulling out almost fully he slammed back in, his tongue mimicking the action in her mouth, both of them groaning loudly at the sensation.

"Look, baby," he whispered nudging her face to the side as he continued the rhythm in and out of her. The side wall of Bella's dressing room was mirror from floor to ceiling, giving the couple a perfect view of themselves. "Look what we do to each other," he breathlessly cooed to her, "We fit together perfectly. I love you so much." 

His words combined with the sight of herself getting fucked pushed her over edge and she came with such force it knocked the breath out her. She felt Edward pulse inside her moments after, and they stayed connected for a moment, just enjoying the feeling.

Edward pulled out of her warmth still facing her, his pants around his ankles as he stroked her thighs lovingly. Just as she was getting ready to move him out of the way, she saw a movement over Edward's shoulder and quickly pulled his body to cover hers.

"Bella, do you mind if we - " Carlisle stuck his head through the door as he knocked lightly simultaneously, as he had done many times before on the nights he'd picked Bella up when his son was working. Only this time, it was clear he had interrupted a, well personal moment.

Esme pushed past him before he could stop her continuing the plea for a moment alone with the couple. What she saw stunned her into silence.

Not quite believing that she was totally nude in front of Edward's parents, she looked up into his eyes her own filling with tears of embarrassment. Though Edward's body was covering hers from the front view, from their vantage point they could see her whole figure completely exposed in the wall mirror.

Pulling her closer and completely covering her from every angle, Edward spoke firmly, quite aware that his ass was still hanging out, "Please leave. We'll see you tomorrow as planned. Goodnight and lock the door on your way out."

Carlisle spoke first, "Of course. You looked great up there tonight Bella, uh no, I mean you played well, not that you don't look nice too, uh wait no -," he stuttered as Esme pulled him out of the room, "Oh fuck my life," he muttered as the door shut.

Hearing the normally composed Carlisle totally befuddled, Bella's embarrassment quickly faded, "Did your dad just say 'fuck'?" She asked Edward, the giggles bubbling in her throat.

"Yeah, and my mom just saw my dick, real funny Swan," he couldn't help but laugh with her; he was so relieved she seemed to okay with getting caught in the act. He wasn't embarrassed at all – fuck they looked hot, and it wasn't like his parents hadn't seen worse over the years from their other spawn. Crap a cracker, half the town had seen Emmett's ass hanging out at one point or another. 

"Baby," she continued, "We really should take this as a sign from the universe that we are not meant to be kinky and have sex in public places! I don't know how I'm going to look either one of them in the eye again," she teasingly wailed. They laughed together as they redressed. Thanksgiving was shaping up to more interesting than either of them had thought.

*H*S*

Alice's home looked beautiful surrounded by trees just beginning to lose their ruby colored leaves, and Bella couldn't wait to enjoy a real Thanksgiving for the first time in a long while. There had been very little change in her relationship with the Cullens, she remained politely detached, but had not cut off contact. Esme approached her individually and explained that her soft rebuttal of Emmett was what seemed best at the time; that she in no way meant that he was right or that Bella was exchangeable.

While Bella understood where they were coming from, she wasn't quite ready to engage fully with them yet. Her and Rose had remained close, and while Rosalie was of course upset with Emmett, her was her husband and she took the stance that she would just work hard to try and show Bella how loved she was by them all.

"You ready to face them baby?" He asked her carefully. Her more forgiving nature had allowed Bella to have contact with his family, but he knew she was still hurt. Now add quite a bit of embarrassment to the mix and he wasn't sure how she'd hold up.

"I'm fine," she assured her distraught-looking boyfriend quickly, "Maybe them walking in on us yesterday was a blessing in disguise. I mean, hopefully your parents are just as embarrassed as we are and will keep their distance."

Edward rolled his eyes, "Okay beautiful, whatever, let's just get this over with," he stated just as Jasper opened the door and welcomed them both inside. The home was already full of guests, Alice had made sure to include Rose's parents and sister in an attempt to keep it all from being too intense and Edward couldn't have been more grateful for his sister's thoughtfulness.

Dinner passed without event, Carlisle and Esme kept their distance, just as Bella had hoped. Whether it was embarrassment or to avoid conflict she wasn't sure, but it worked either way. Towards the end of the night, though, she found herself peering out the window of Jasper's study into the night, needing a moment of respite from the party. A throat clearing alerted her to the fact that she wasn't alone.

Esme and Emmett stood in the doorway of the room and made their way towards Bella as she turned. "Bella," Emmett began, "I'm sorry. So sorry for that night and what I said to Edward at the hospital. My own guilt over not stepping up and protecting Rose like I should have made me say those things. I don't think at all that you're not important to this family or Edward. Please forgive me, forgive my parents – you are the only way we have a chance at mending things with Edward."

Stunned at his words Bella retorted, "So I'm a means to end yet again Emmett? Really?"

"What? No!" He responded quickly, "I AM sorry Bella and struggling with my own guilt and shame over what happened – I just meant that Edward will never forgive us without you forgiving us first, which of course is also just as important."

Bella nodded, "I do understand Emmett, but give us some time. That's all I'm asking for. I know that we will all heal from this, but you weakened the bond with your brother that night and then went ahead and severed it by what you said at the hospital," she shuddered recalling as Edward had told her the details of the encounter. "At this point I know we will both forgive what happened, but the bonds are still broken. It's up to you and Carlisle and Esme to rebuild them."

Bella walked past them and down the hall to find Edward. She touched his arm as he stood talking with Mr. Hale about something at work. "Excuse me," she said sweetly, "Edward, I'm tired, are you ready to go?"

"Of course," he said gently seeing in her demeanor that something was amiss. They said their good byes to the group and headed to the car. On the way home she retold the conversation with Esme and Emmett. He sighed. "You're right baby," he conceded, "I suppose I'll forgive him eventually, but I think the new relationship with my brother will have to build slowly. I can't force it and neither can he."

They continued into the night, thankful that they had one another.

**There you have it…One more to go and an epi…Review review review….please!**


	31. Chapter 30

**So, this is the last regular chapter of Heart Strings! Thanks very much for all of the reviews, alerts and favs for myself as an author and the story itself. I really appreciate it more than you can know. I was really nervous putting my fiction ideas out there and you all made it sooo worth it! There may or may not be an epilogue, but I will post the first chapter of my new story soon. I'll leave this one open in order to alert y'all when the new one starts, if you're interested.**

**I only own my typos…..alas. **

Chapter 30

November faded into December and Bella found herself busier and busier with the concert series and parties that accompanied it. Luckily, Edward worked out his schedule in order to escort her to each and every event. Underlying it all had been the stress of rebuilding relationships with the Cullens, as well as waiting to her what would happen with Tanya and James. As Bella gazed at her reflection in the mirror of her dressing room putting the finishing touches on her look for the concert that was imminently starting, she recalled her last meeting with anyone claiming the name "Hunter" and grimaced.

~hshs~

_Following a particularly difficult class session with some of the kids from the Center, Bella headed out to her car after hugging Rose goodbye and making plans to go shopping the following week. Sighing, she slowly walked to the front of the building where Edward was due to pick her up for dinner in a few minutes. While contemplating a specific incident of bad behavior she witnessed this afternoon, wondering what she could do to help, a soft but familiar voice caused her to turn._

"_Isabella," the sound of Dorothy Hunter filled the air, "I just wanted to say that I'm so sorry about what happened with my son. I had no idea he was so obsessed with you," she paused and cleared her throat, "I know some of this is my fault. I pushed for him to pursue you even though you made it perfectly clear time and time again that Edward was the only man you wanted. Maybe had I stepped in…"_

_Bella sighed, feeling sad for the woman before her. "Mrs. Hunter," she began, "James made his own choices, as did Tanya. They are the only ones to blame for what happened. I'm just sorry that you and Mr. Hunter are put in the spotlight in such a negative way because of this. You were pushy, that's true, but to some extent you were also kind to me. Thank you, though, for the apology."_

_Before the older woman could respond Edward's car roared to the curb and he jumped out, furiously pulling Bella to him and looking into her eyes as if searching for upset._

"_Are you okay baby?" He asked hurriedly. "What did she say to you?"_

"_Nothing, Edward. She was just apologizing actually," Bella turned in his arms to include Mrs. Hunter in the conversation, but she had already left. _

"_Please!" He countered guiding her towards the car, "She, and the rest of that family, have very little room for redemption in my opinion. If she'd for one second taken her focus on her image and shifted to her son then maybe he wouldn't have turned out to be a crazy fuck. Same thing with Tanya since the woman practically raised her." _

_Bella nodded slightly, allowing herself to be guided into the car. Once they were on their way to dinner, she turned to Edward, "I hate to keep talking about them, but have you heard anything else about the case?"_

"_Yes, beautiful, I have. No chance of bail for either of them and they are both undergoing pretrial psychological evaluations. Our lawyers have assured me they will both be locked away for a long time."_

hshs

The "move to the stage" signal wafting through her ear piece shook Bella out of her memories and she headed out to perform the Christmas Eve concert – the last one she would perform of the year. She was looking forward to playing the beautiful medley of traditional holiday tunes, but even more anticipatory was the night she planned on spending with Edward. He wanted Christmas to begin early with just the two of them tonight and continue into a day of snuggling and opening gifts. They'd opted to decline Esme's invitation for dinner, especially since Alice and Jasper were going to Aspen with the Whitlock clan – spending the whole holiday with parents and Emmett, even if tempered by Rose, was not the picture of relaxation.

The concert went well, Bella feeling energized by the beautiful strains of her favorite songs, and for the first time her mood was not dampened by sadness that she would either be alone or feeling like an add-on with friends – she had someone to spend the holiday with this year, and she couldn't happier. Walking into the foyer of the building she saw said someone and jumped into his arms, kissing him passionately, not caring who saw at the moment.

Temporarily stunned, but always ready to kiss his girl, Edward responded to her kiss fully before setting her back on her feet, and asked, "Not that I'm complaining gorgeous, but what was that for?"

"Just 'cause I love you and I can't wait to get you home let you start unwrapping your gifts," she coyly fiddled with the tie holding together her red wrap dress.

Growling into her ear, Edward responded, "You're going to kill me one of these days baby. "You severely overestimate my self control if you think you can play with me like that in public without consequences. Let's go before I embarrass you at your place of work."

She squealed as he practically dragged out to the parking lot and pressed her back up against the car door, kissing down the column of her neck and squeezing her breasts before opening the passenger side and settling her in. _It's going to be a very Merry Christmas, _Bella thought excitedly.

By the time they arrived at the apartment the tie on Bella's dress was already mostly undone and Edward's fingers were teasing her nipples through the now loosely hanging v-neck. Shutting the door behind him he ripped open the wrap completely, exposing his girl's tiny red bra and panty set.

"Is this my present gorgeous?" He breathed, lips roaming down her body stopping to lick her hardened peaks through the thin lace covering them.

"Only part," she moaned as he undid the clasp on her bra and pulled her panties off quickly. She returned the favor and disrobed him as well, and soon she found herself bent over the sofa filled to the hilt with Edward, all of him.

"Fuck baby, you feel perfect," he practically yelled pounding into her hard and fast. After a moment her legs began to shake as the tell tale signs of her pending orgasm came to life. They exploded together in heap of happiness before heading off to bed, completely satisfied.

*H*S*

"So, how's your Christmas going so far sweetheart?" Edward asked Bella, pulling her closer to him on the couch after doling out her small pile of gifts.

"Hmm, let me see," she playfully tapped her finger against her chin. Edward had given her a very very pleasant wake up this morning, and then served her breakfast in bed before moving her out to the living room to start opening gifts. "So far so good," she answered sweetly giving him a kiss, "Now, can I open these up?"

Loving the excitement in her eyes Edward gestured for her to have at it, and they both began tearing through gifts from friends, family and of course one another. After a moment, Bella reached behind her and handed Edward a medium sized square box. Feeling nervous, she stated, "I hope you like it. I mean, if you don't its okay, you just have practically everything…"

Shushing her with a kiss, Edward grabbed the box and opened it to reveal the most gorgeous Rolex he'd ever seen. As he turned over the platinum face with detailed bezel, tears almost filled his eyes seeing the inscription she'd placed on the back. It read simply, "You are my joy. I love you, Bella."

"Thank you baby," he hugged her tightly, "This is the best gift I've every received. I love you." They kissed for a moment, before Edward pulled away, realizing it was show time.

"I have to confess I have one more gift for you too, love."

"What?" Bella protested. He'd already given her a diamond necklace and earrings, some clothes, and a beautiful Louis Vuitton handbag; what more could he possibly think she needed?

"This is something that's not really a Christmas gift, I guess," he started suddenly anxious, "I bought this awhile ago…I just think this the right time."

And, like that, on a snowy Chicago Christmas morning Edward got down on one knee and professed his love, and with a promise to cherish her forever, asked his girl to be his wife.

The asscher cut diamond practically glowed in the dim morning light as the question left his lips, "What do you say beautiful girl – will you marry me?"

How she managed to sputter out a yes Bella wouldn't remember. The only conscious memory of that morning would be the man she loved sliding the ring on her finger, symbolizing what she had known from that first meeting at a cocktail party so many months ago: That they belonged together.

*H*S*

The light bounced off the beautiful diamond making it sparkle and twinkle as she twisted her finger. The snowfall had just started and Bella enjoyed the view outside of the window of the home she now, officially, shared with Edward. _My fiancé_, she thought pleasantly_. _

After his proposal a few days before the couple had spent hours discussing where they would live and when they would get married. Against initial protests, Bella decided to let Edward pay off the remaining months on her current lease so she could move into his place immediately. Even though they had been basically living together for quite awhile, starting up the packing and moving process made it all valid and true. She was really going to be someone's wife, part of a family – even if the larger part of it had some healing left to go.

The clink of keys in the door and soft footsteps padding her way brought Bella from her thoughts. Warm lips trailed down her neck and she leaned over a bit to give Edward better access.

"What are you doing over here staring out the window baby?" He asked between kisses. Removing his coat and shoes Edward moved around to the front of the couch and pulled his girl into his lap, snuggling her close.

"Just thinking," she replied, giving him a soft but passionate kiss. "I can't wait to start the new year tomorrow as your future wife."

"Bella Cullen does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" He asked playfully nuzzling her thick hair.

"Yes, it does," she smiled happily and leaned back into his arms as they continued to gaze at the city slowly being blanketed in white.

Bella signed in contentment. The last year had taught her so much about love, fear, loss and trust. Life was not perfect, and there was still fallout to deal with concerning Emmett and the older Cullens. However, she was not facing it alone, and neither was Edward for that matter. She had learned that there were few fairytale endings; and that while danger and pain often led one to truly understand the preciousness of love, sometimes things did not end with a perfect bow on top. She and Edward had gone through trauma, and while they had come out stronger than ever, their family still needed time to mend.

She'd never considered a life without hurdles or letting others close enough to hurt her. She had assumed she'd face whatever happened alone; that life would be about music and work, maybe with a few acquaintances scattered here and there. Now, though, she had a new family with Edward, and she couldn't be happier that she was wrong.

"Baby," he began gently, "I'm sleepy, you ready for bed?"

"Let's go," she answered happily and they walked into their bedroom hand-in-hand, ready to fall asleep and wake up to the first of day of a new year, together.

**The End**

**So, that's it! I know that the beginning chapters were rough and kinda awkward – thank you so much to all of you who stuck with it and gave me helpful comments. Please review one last time for me….Please! I plan on using everything I learned to try and make my new story bigger and better. Thanks again – this has been a lot of fun**


	32. Chapter 32

My new story entitled "The Boys of Forks" will start later tonight or tomorrow morning. Please check out my profile for the link and details.


	33. Chapter 33

**Here is the final part of my story. Thank you again to all of you who took the time to read, review, alert and add me and the story to your favorites. This has been a ton of fun thanks to all of you!**

**See my note at the end about my new story….Also, I don't own anything except my errors, as usual.**

Epilogue

_5years later…._

"So, Edward," Emmett asked his brother as they sat side by side at the nurses station finishing up their charts for the day, "How's Bella? Rose tells me she really starting to show."

The thought of his wife's pretty little baby bump brought an immediate smile to Edward's face, despite how tired he was after such a long shift. "She's doing great, Em. Really great. And, yes, she started to wear maternity clothes a few weeks ago, hence the massive shopping her and Rose have been doing lately," he chuckled. Buying things for the baby and for Bella was the best possible way to spend money in his estimation. Nothing made him happier than to spoil her and the little one inside.

Emmett nodded with a smile and returned to his charting. Over the past five years he and his parents had worked very hard to rebuild the bond with Edward and Bella. It had been difficult and there were moments of tears and yelling. Luckily, healing had happened to a significant degree, and even though things were different, they were better in many ways. Emmett remembered one moment with the couple in particular early on in the healing process that was especially emotional, yet had led to progress.

~hshs~

"_The thing I can't get over Emmett," Edward fumed at his brother over dinner at his parent's house – they'd all agreed to a twice a month family dinner to help resolve the issues amongst them, "Is how you could've thrown Bella straight into the arms of someone you knew for certain would've violated her?"_

_The table was silent while Esme sniffled in the back ground. Over the previous few months they had worked through the events of that horrible night. Bella understood that in the moment Emmett had been out of his mind and likely said things that he didn't mean. However, the episode with Edward at the hospital following Rose's return was something that she and Edward were having trouble working through._

"_Fuck Edward! We've been over this. I am so sorry!" Emmett pulled at his hair in frustration, not knowing how else to apologize, "It took me weeks to get my head back on straight after almost losing Rosie. I can't even remember half of what I said."_

"_Basically calling Bella a whore shouldn't be that hard to remember!" Edward yelled back. The thought of his girl with James, hurt and alone had been plaguing his mind for weeks. He knew he was taking out part of his frustration on his brother, but damn with that fight the hospital Emmett had practically painted a target on his face!_

_Rose's soft voice broke into the brothers' heated exchange. "Edward, please, I know my husband and you know you're brother. He didn't mean it. Consider forgiving him, for me."_

_Putting it in the perspective of moving on for Rose's sake, Edward took a deep breath and vowed to himself to try. He felt indebted to his sister-in-law: She'd taken the brunt of James and Tanya's craziness as well as become his fiancé's best friend._

"_Okay," he took a deep breath, "I'll try."_

hshs

Since that day, things gradually began to get better. His relationship with Alice and Jasper had become closer than ever, and Jasper had even walked Bella down the aisle at their wedding. _What a perfect day that had been, _he thought wistfully, recalling how gorgeous his bride had looked. Her dress had been so delicate…it had need quite a few repairs after he had ripped it off her. _Ah, good times,_ Edward smirked.

"Well, I'm out," He stood and gathered his things. Bella tried to stay awake for him on these late nights, but the pregnancy was making her really sleepy and he didn't want to miss out on a chance to spend time with her.

"You and Bella will be at Sophie's party this weekend, right?" Emmett and Rose's little girl was turning one and Edward wouldn't disappoint his niece for the world. The addition of Sophie to the Cullen clan had been an instrumental part in the healing process, as Edward and Bella couldn't deny their niece anything, including spending time together as a family.

"Yeah, we'll be there. Bella's bought out half of the American Girl Doll store even though I told her one year old is a bit young to play with those dolls." Edward shook his head with a chuckle; Bella had it in her mind that their niece _had_ to have these particular toys, and as usual, he was powerless to stop her from doing something she wanted. Waving good-bye to his brother and Kate he headed out into the night.

*H*S*

Upon opening the bedroom door Edward's breath left him as he gazed at his beautiful girl asleep on the bed, hair spread around her and a delicate hand on her gently swollen belly.

The room was softly lit, as though Bella had tried to stay up for him, but just didn't quite make it. Lying down next to her he moved her silk chemise up to reveal her little bump but also a sexy pair of lace boyshorts. The pregnancy had made Bella even sexier, which he hadn't believed possible. That fact, when combined with her increased libido was about to kill him but in the most pleasant of ways. Making circles on her belly he kissed her forehead.

"Mmm, you're home. I missed you," she breathed, arching into his touch. Pulling his face down to hers Bella kissed him deeply, loving his eager response to her.

"I missed my girls too," Edward responded. They had found out a few days before that they were having a girl and he couldn't be more excited. His hands moved Bella's nightgown up and over her gorgeous breasts and took a sweet nipple into his mouth.

"Be careful," she warned, "You look tired so don't you dare start something you can't finish."

"Baby," he pulled the gown the rest of the way over her head, "I always finish what I start. You should know that by now."

And with that Edward proceeded to make love to his wife, his life, his heart.

**The End**

**So, there you have it. Please go check out my new story, "The Boys of Forks." I've only had a few people review, so I'm not sure if I'm gonna continue – show the story some love y'all otherwise I just assume it's not good enough to put up on the site.**

**Thanks again for all the reviews!**


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